Child’s Play
Anyone who has sailed offshore (or plans to) would have read with interest and alarm, the reports of yachts being attacked and occasionally sank by Orcas off the Iberian Peninsular. The attacks create fertile ground for speculation. Why are they doing this? Malice? Revenge? Enjoyment? And how might we stop them? Well, finally a comprehensive and thoroughly scientific study has been released by the International Whaling Commission and like all the best studies it makes for dry reading. If you don’t feel like ploughing through it there’s a good synopsis in an article published in New Atlas Magazine.
Orcas are still smashing up boats – and we've finally worked out why
For four years now, orcas have been ramming and sinking luxury yachts in European waters, and scientists have struggled to work out just why these smart, social animals had learnt this destructive new trick. But it's not due to some anticapitalist 'eat the rich' agenda, nor is it to do with territory and aggression. The truth is, well, it's child's play.
Following years of research, a team of biologists, government officials and marine industry representatives have released their findings on just why one particular Orcinus orca group has developed this destructive streak. And it turns out, orcas – especially the kids and teens – just want to have fun. The report reveals that a combination of free time, curiosity and natural playfulness has led to young orcas adopting this 'trend' of boat-bumping, which is not at all surprising for a species that has been known to adopt odd, isolated behaviors from time to time.
In recent years, a dramatic recovery in the population of bluefin tuna in the region has been a win for a group of about 40 critically endangered Iberian killer whales that feed exclusively on the large fish. This has meant they've cut down their time spent foraging, leaving space for other 'hobbies.'