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Date Published: 25/10/2021

ARCHIVED - Investigation launched into killer whale attacks in Spain

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

Scientists in Spain are puzzled about the huge rise in killer whale attacks in recent years

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Investigation launched into killer whale attacks in Spain

A study has been launched to investigate the rising incidence of killer whale attacks in Spain, the number of which has soared in the past year, particularly in the Strait of Gibraltar and in Galicia. Run by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (Miteco), the investigation will focus on preventative and management measures.

The attacks by orcas mainly affect sailboats, and were virtually unheard of before the summer of 2020. Since then, dozens of sailors have reported being chased and harassed by the whales, although scientists believe the attacks are perpetrated by the same few over-zealous animals each time.

The report aims to determine the possible causes and define and prioritise the most appropriate measures to try to minimize both these episodes and their consequences. Some 15% of the encounters have resulted in serious damage to the boats, although no aggressive behaviour towards humans has been reported in Spain.

Several experts have volunteered suggestions about the increased number of attacks, ranging from the possibility that the juvenile whales are simply playing with the boats to the rather unlikely scenario that they are taking revenge for many of their number being harpooned by fishermen. In general, though, scientists are puzzled by the situation.

The killer whale is included in the List of Wild Species under Special Protection Regime, and the dwindling population of the Gulf of Cádiz-Strait of Gibraltar, where several whale attacks have been reported, is included in the category of "Vulnerable" in the Spanish Catalogue of Threatened Species. In 2017 the Orca Conservation Plan was approved, which is focused on the protection of the species in Spanish waters.

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