A POD of killer whales attacked a boat off the coast of Morocco, sinking the yacht in the fourth incident of its kind in just two years.
The orcas relentlessly pummelled the boat’s rudder, damaging the vessel beyond repair.
Killer whales like the notorious orca dubbed White Gladis have been attacking boats for yearsShutterstock
Facebook/Morskie MileThe Polish company operating the boat said they were unable to rescue it as it sank off the coast of Morocco[/caption]
Facebook/Morskie MileThe crew, who were sailing through the Strait of Gibraltar, were unharmed in the bizarre incident[/caption]
The ambush likely came from a notorious pod of whales led by an orca dubbed “White Gladis” which has been apparently attacking seafarers for at least three years.
The Polish company who were operating the boat said all attempts to rescue the yacht failed before it sunk near a Moroccan port.
The operator said the crew were “safe, unharmed, and sound” following the bizarre incident.
They said in a statement: “Despite attempts to bring the yacht to the port by the captain, crew and rescuers from the SAR (Search and Rescue), port tugs and the Moroccan Navy, the unit sunk near the entrance to the port of Tanger Med.”
Orca attacks on boats travelling through the Strait of Gibraltar – which runs between Spain and Morocco – were first reported in 2020.
One such attack happened just months ago when a 50ft yacht was attacked by four killer whales in the same waters.
Some believe a 25ft-long mother orca, dubbed White Gladis, is the ringleader of the pod.
One scientist even speculated that the killer whale could be acting as a result of a previous troubling incident.
Alfredo Lopez Fernandez, a biologist from the Orca Atlantic Working Group which is studying the encounters, said: “That traumatised orca is the one that started this behaviour of physical contact with the boat.”
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