Photo: Serge MELESAN / 500px / 500px / Getty Images
A pod of killer whales attacked a 50-foot yacht traversing the Strait of Gibraltar, causing it to sink. The Alboran Cognac called for help around 9 a.m. on Sunday (May 12) near the southern entrance to the Strait after orcas started ramming the vessel.
A nearby oil tanker sailed over to assist and rescued two people from the yacht, which was left abandoned in the water where it eventually sank.
Sunday's incident is the latest in a string of attacks by what marine experts believe is a group of about 15 orcas, which they named "Gladis."
A research group called An Atlantic Orca Task Force said that the killer whales have been responsible for over 700 attacks on yachts and boats in the region since 2020. Scientists are baffled by the attacks and still trying to determine why the orcas are so hostile to boats.
One theory suggests the orcas are seeking revenge after one of their pod was killed or injured by a yacht, while others say the orcas believe the yachts are competitors for bluefin tuna, their primary source of food.