Posted on 08/02/2024 12:00:50 PM PDT by Red Badger
Ayacht navigating the Strait of Gibraltar recently sank after a pod of orcas launched a dramatic attack, marking the latest incident in a series of troubling encounters with these killer whales.
Robert Powell, the British yachtsman affected, said that "these (orcas) were not playing" and described the attack as "well-organized and coordinated" in a social media post.
Powell and two other occupants of the yacht, called Bonhomie William, had to be rescued by Spanish coastguards on Wednesday 24 after orcas disabled the vessel's steering and subjected it to severe buffeting.
However, Volker Deecke, a professor of wildlife conservation at the University of Cumbria, told Newsweek that there is "no evidence whatsoever" indicating that this behavior is aggressive or that orcas are deliberately trying to sink boats they encounter.
A spokesperson for the Spanish Coastguard Service said in a statement: "Yesterday evening a yacht called Bonhomme William which was two miles off Camarinal Cape between Tarifa and Barbate reported that after interaction with orcas she needed to be towed as her steering system was inoperative."
Powell and his two crew members first reached out to Spanish authorities for a tow after the initial orca attack disabled their rudder. Spanish officials began preparing the rescue boat Salvamar Enif, but Bonhomme William's crew later reported that the orcas had returned and the vessel was taking on water.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsweek.com ...
Food
True or not some who claim to be in the know say the reason it’s only happening in some areas is the the cartels dump their coke and other drugs if the feds get to close and the Orcas ingest it broken packages or the bite them.
Not sure no hard data on it?.
matriculate?
People are just going to have to start shooting them.
If a human takes out a whale with 5.56 heads are going to scream!
Liberals >> but but but man is invading the sea. That’s the whales’ territory.
Yes. As do every creature on Earth. We find it difficult to 'translate' a meow or a dog's bark. We hear the birds sing and we don't understand what they are singing.
But they understand us. Maybe not so much the words as our actions, our tone of voice, our gestures.
They understand 2 types of communication (at a minimum) and we only use 1. Who is 'smarter'? The orcas have expressed themselves to us, but we don't get it.
They used to have a deal with humans. Humans tow back a whale, and the orcas escort the hunting party and keep away the sharks. Upon safe docking, we would SHARE the food (ESPECIALLY THE tongue. They love that tongue.)
We no longer do that and they have been very patient for a long time.
Everyone reaches a limit of their tolerance, and they are doing their best to make it clear.
Robert Powell, the British yachtsman affected, said that “these (orcas) were not playing” and described the attack as “well-organized and coordinated” ...
If you see something, say something.
What I know they all understand is the call for food. An hour before dusk, I put out a saucepan of peanuts on the table under the window and on the patio for the ones who can’t climb the little ladder. There’s a cry in the distance when the window squeaks open and almost before it’s closed, a HUGE flock of blue jays sweep in, followed by a pair of woodpeckers, a pair of cardinals, one dove, one northern mockingbird, three chipmunks and 5 squirrels. It gets pretty colorful for a few minutes, and then the stash is cleaned out and it becomes quiet again.
Until the 10pm peanut delivery when the 4 baby raccoons and a parent show up. I’m sure it’s the squeaking of the window that alerts the possum and skunks. Haven’t seen the grey foxes in a while.
Night Visitors - Joseph Blanchard
https://youtu.be/4Fz_w97bt4s
Baby Birds - Chopin Etude
https://youtu.be/5pVqvCsrZaY
“Sinking of the Essex.”
Great novel and the inspiration for “Moby Dick.”
A sperm whale attaches a whaling vessel...”
When animals run wild!!
I’m rooting for the orcas.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.