OceanCare: Gibraltar orca attack not deliberate or act of revenge
While OceanCare regrets the distress caused to the two crew members who had to be rescued after their yacht “Alboran Cognac” was damaged by orcas and sank in the southern entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar last Sunday, it reiterates its call for tolerance towards the orcas.
PRESS COMMENT – 14 May 2024
OceanCare: Gibraltar orca attack not deliberate or act of revenge
On Sunday, 12 May, the 15-metre yacht “Alboran Cognac” sank in the southern entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar after being damaged by orcas. The crew were safely rescued. This is the latest in a series of incidents in recent years where individuals from this particularly endangered population of orcas have damaged or lost vessels.
While OceanCare regrets the distress caused to the two crew members who had to be rescued, it reiterates its call for tolerance towards these orcas.
Mark Simmonds , OceanCare’s Director of Science, comments:
“We do not believe that the orcas’ behaviour is any form of revenge or a deliberate attack on people and it is important that it is not characterised in the media as such. These intelligent and highly social animals have learned that small boats can be manipulated and are obviously getting some form of gratification from this. Most probably this is play behaviour or a way to show off to each other. We know that the authorities in the countries in which this population occurs are working hard to develop benign and appropriate strategies to address this problem.”
ENDS
Media contact
- Dániel Fehér, Strategic Communications Lead OceanCare: +49 176 81434026; dfeher@oceancare.org
Further information
- An international group of experts, including scientists working for OceanCare, issued a statement about the orcas last year
- OceanCare’s full statement on this situation is available here
About OceanCare
OceanCare is an international marine conservation non-governmental organisation, founded in Switzerland in 1989. The organisation pursues the protection and restoration of the marine environment and marine wildlife with a strong policy focus, combining research, conservation projects and education. OceanCare’s remit includes marine pollution, climate change, marine mammal hunting and the environmental consequences of fisheries. Its work is supported by a team of scientific, legal and policy experts, and involves strategic collaboration with civil society organisations and coalitions around the world. OceanCare is an officially accredited partner and observer to several UN conventions and other international fora. www.oceancare.org --
OceanCare Dániel Fehér, Strategic Communications Lead Gerbestrasse 6, P.O.Box 372 CH-8820 Waedenswil - Switzerland +49 176 81434026 dfeher@oceancare.org www.oceancare.org