Mercedes-Benz Oceanic Lounge
NAUTIC SQUAD SAW CLUB SAILE WREAT TO LARGO FROM COSTA DA CAPARICA AFTER INTERACTION WITH ORCAS
An interaction with a group of orcas caused this Saturday the wreck of a sailboat off the Costa da Caparica, in Almada. A second vessel also needed help after meeting the Cetacean group, known as “killer whales.”
A recessing boat with five people on board sank on Saturday, about five nautical miles off the Praia da Fonte da Telha, Costa da Caparicaafter an interaction with a group of orcas that caused damage to the rudder of the vessel.
According to the National Maritime Authority (AMN), a second vessel, with four people on board, needed help after a meeting with the Cetacean group off Cascais Bay. The vessel was removed from the site with the aid of another nearby.
The nine people who followed both vessels had to be assisted, but in both cases, “it was found that the crew were well physically, No need for medical care“AMN indicated.
After a period of some tranquility, this is the second case In a few days of an interaction of orcas with recreational boats on the back of Portugal and Spain, after a vessel off Galicia last week.
According to an AMN statement, The alert was received at 12:30through the Lisbon Search and Maritime Search Coordination Center, having been mobilized, “immediately”, crew members of the Cascais Savings Station and the Port of Porto de Lisboa.
According to the Bernardo Queirozdirector do Mercedes-Benz Oceanic Loungewhich registered the moment when the orcas interacted with the vessel that sank on the coast of the Caparica, the incident occurred around 12h.
The Mercedes-Benz Oceanic Lounge boat was on a dolphin observation trip when “noticed erratic movements”In the sailboat that was in the immediate vicinity. As they approached, they realized that it was a group of four orcas, says Bernardo Queiroz.
During the interaction, the orcas will have damaged the rudder of the sailboatthat started to get water. The vessels that hosted the scene tried to tow the sailboat, but the boat eventually sink, with all the crew rescued.
In the images captured by the Mercedes-Benz Oceanic Lounge, it is possible to see the contacts of the orcas with a sailboat, in which they seem to be push with their heads and body.
The Mercedes-Benz Oceanic Lounge vessel also captured the moment when the sailboat, from the Nautic Squad candle club, sank.
A bizarre habit
This is the latest episode of a strange and continuous saga that unfolds in Waters Coastal of Spain and Portugal Since 2019: Orcas developed a disconcerting behavior: specifically your Lemes, and destroying them.
Attacks are not limited to a single group, and seem to have spread to a specific and in danger populationnote or.
The orcas are among the smarter creatures on the planet. They are organized, social and demonstrate clear signs of culture. They are also supreme predators of the oceans, so dominant that they even play with white sharks and eat their livers.
AND unlikely to start something like this randomly.
Between 2020 and 2023, about 500 orcas attacks to vessels, with a frequency that has been increasing. No human was injured during these interactions, but 20% of boats suffered damageand several vessels were disabled.
After a period of less intensity, the attacks increased again. The Civil Guard of Pontevedra, Spanish security agency, recently shared on social networks a video in which it makes known that the orcas had attacked several sailboats.
Orcas attack in Costa da Vela to several sailboats producing damage to the rudder to one. The patrol of the protection day until reaching vessel maritime rescue that starts towing to port.
Patrollera performs protection and about bow, trying to move them away.– Guardia Civil Pontevedra (@guardiacivilpon)
Why do these attacks happen?
The mystery P, but in fact there is not yet a definitive response to explain behavior of the orcas, but there are some clues.
It all started with a small group of orcasa subpopulation of Iberian orcas, a critically threatened population with less than 40 individuals. This reduced number makes unique behavior even more significant.
The behavior started with just a few orcas jovens. Now it seems to be a widespread trend within the group.
Scientists believe that those responsible are often young people, “sea teenagers ”. Like human teenagers, they are full of energy and apparently They are not afraid to experience new things. This suggests that behavior may not be properly aggressive.
Interactions can be playfulS, result of the natural curiosity of marine mammals. Usually, they seem to attack the rudder, something that Makes the boat stillgiving them more time of observation and joke.
But also It can be an aggressive attack. Orcas may have been Wounds by vessels and transmitted this information, identifying boats as dangerous.
According to this theory, orcas know that attack the tail of an animal It can immobilize it, and may be applying the same logic to the boats, destroying the Lemes. This could be a form of revenge or prevention of damage.
Finally, behavior may also be connected to a cultural tendency.The concept of “Cultural Fashions” between Orcas is not new. They are incredibly social, with complex cultures ranging from groups. They have their own dialects, unique vocalizations that act as a language, transmitted between generations.
It has been observed that they participate in complex social rituals, from rubbing the bodies to each other in a playful way to gently touching each other’s languages.
Orcas also have a History of temporary behaviors and strangers, clear purpose.
A famous example is the “Salmon Fashion in the Head”in which a group of northwestern Pacific orcific on the head, without apparent purpose, just because … it was fashion. They did it for a while and then abandoned.
Whatever the reason, after a period of apparent tranquility, the attacks of orcas are back.
