It was a beautiful day on the ocean. You and your friends are enjoying sailing when you see the pod of orcas approaching. You’re excited, so you join your friends and take out your cellphone to record the experience. Excitement turns to fear when one of the orcas rips the rudder from the stern.
The attacks occur in the Atlantic Ocean off the coasts of Spain and Portugal. The orcas are drawn to the moving parts of the boats, including rudders. The question is, why do they do it? I’m not a scientist, but I watched a lot of Jacques Cousteau specials when I was a kid. So I have theories.
Orcas are intelligent creatures. They’re smart, but they think differently. They don’t mean to harm humans; they’re bored. It’s a game to them. They attack sailboats because they’re slower. Somewhere at some time, a matriarch got bored and attacked a sailboat. She thought it was fun and taught the pod a new game.
Orcas have never attacked a human in the wild. They are curious about us. They will approach divers and snorkelers, never attacking. They will attack Trainers at Theme Parks. I have a theory about that.
Orcas are intelligent. Like all intelligent creatures, they need stimulation. They are large mammals in a small pool. A model prisoner will snap and hurt someone after being inside for so long.
Orcas are social animals; each pod has a distinct dialect. The orca pod enjoyed the game so much that they taught the game to other pods. It would explain why the attacks happen in the same area.
This raises the question of why attack and disable boats? Sinking some as well? One theory is trauma. A sailboat rudder might have hurt or annoyed an orca. It exacted payback and got a kick out of it. It enjoyed the game so much that it taught the rest of the pod.
Orcas are interesting but inscrutable creatures. It’s impossible to understand why they attack and sink boats. They don’t see humans as prey. It could be they’re having fun at humans’ expense.
With research, we could come to understand why they attack and sink sailboats. I suspect it’s payback for past trauma. I could be wrong about that, but I’m sure they mean no physical harm to humans.
Final Thought:
Orcas live in societies with their own cultures and dialects. They are social creatures with a sense of play. They are curious about snorkelers and divers. They know humans are on the boats they are attacking. The question is why. It would be fascinating to understand the reasoning behind the behavior.
It’s a game to them.
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