Richard Collins: A mother mad for revenge — or just boisterous orca play?
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When seeking revenge, dig two graves — Confucius
The new Battle-of-Trafalgar between orcas and boats off the coasts of Spain and Portugal shows no sign of ending. According to a Euronews, a yacht was attacked and sunk by killer-whales in the Straits of Gibraltar on May 12. The two people on board had to abandon ship. They alerted Spain’s maritime rescue service, but were picked up by a passing tanker.
There have been 673 such orca attacks since hostilities began in May 2020. Two Moroccan-registered fishing vessels and five sailing yachts are said to have been sunk and many others damaged. There are, however, no reports of injury to people. Portugal has banned tourist boats from approaching orca pods.
Only 15 individual orcas have been identified ramming boats. Nor do the experts agree as to why they are doing so. According to one theory, a female nicknamed 'White Gladis' started the war. And it’s alleged she did so from a desire for revenge.
Selective in her targets, she seems ‘to have it in’ for certain types of vessel; only about one in 100 boats is attacked. Of course, the idea that an orca harbours a grudge, and loses her temper, seems somewhat far-fetched — a classic case of anthropomorphism. But, in 1820, a whaling ship, the Essex, was attacked and sunk by angry sperm whales.
Rudders seem to be the main focus of attacks in Iberian waters. Zoologist Renaud de Stephanis, and his team, use fake rudders and underwater cameras to investigate the behaviour. Orcas have been filmed head-butting rudders until they snap. No swimmers have ever been attacked.
Gladis was probably pregnant when her initial trauma occurred. Calves follow their mothers. Did she endanger the life of her recently-born calf by attacking boats? A propeller could inflict lethal injuries on a youngster.
Whatever the origins of the behaviour, supporters of the terrorist theory claim that Gladis has been recruiting others to her cause. Young orcas imitate older ones.
Does she train juveniles to carry out attacks? Calves have been implicated in ramming.
But there are critics of the vengeance theory. Andrew Trites, of the University of British Columbia, thinks that the orcas’ behaviour may not be malicious. These lively creatures may just be engaging in boisterous play. An orca used to attack the rudders of boats off Vancouver, apparently just for fun.
But we humans can’t afford to criticise orcas: "There is no folly of the beasts of the earth which is not infinitely outdone by the madness of man," wrote Herman Melville in