Orcas are still ramming into boats. And the internet can’t get enough of it

Sarah Gambles
·3 min read
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A female resident orca whale breaches while swimming in Puget Sound near Bainbridge Island, Wash., as seen from a federally permitted research vessel on Jan. 18, 2014. More orcas have been ramming into boats and yachts in the Mediterranean.
A female resident orca whale breaches while swimming in Puget Sound near Bainbridge Island, Wash., as seen from a federally permitted research vessel on Jan. 18, 2014. More orcas have been ramming into boats and yachts in the Mediterranean. | Elaine Thompson, Associated Press

Orcas have started ramming into boats and rudders to the point of breaking the boats, and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down yet.

All of the incidents have involved “some combination” of 15 killer whales, which have wrecked three vessels and disabled dozens of others. Cases of orcas interacting with the boats in this way has hit a record-breaking 20 to 25 per month. None of the people on board the vessels have experienced injuries so far, according to AccuWeather.

There are two theories scientists have established as explanations for the interactions. One could be that the orcas are just being playful. The other is that an orca experienced a traumatic experience with a boat and is trying to prevent it from happening to another orca again, per AccuWeather.

The phenomenon is unprecedented, and orca researcher Alfredo López Fernández told BBC that there have been cases of orcas interacting with boats in the past, but “none of them is similar to what’s happening now.”

One of the leaders in the pod of killer whales leading the pack who scientists believe first initiated the behavior is named White Gladis. Scientists believe White Gladis was likely pregnant when she first starting approaching the boats, which led scientists to assume something happened that caused White Gladis to act “out of revenge because of the trauma she experienced,” according to LiveScience.

“She went to the boats with this calf, so she preferred to stop the boats rather than keeping her baby safe,” Mónica González, a marine biologist, said in a webinar, per LiveScience. González continued, “it was more important to stop the boats” than to stay close to her calf, which is most commonly the behavior of mother orcas during the first two years of the baby’s life.

Scientists and researchers are following the situation to see if more developments occur.

People following the developments with the orcas took to Twitter to express support for the orcas.