A scientist based in Spain and his team narrowed down the population of killer whales engaging in sailboat rudder-removal in the waters around the Iberian Peninsula. Twenty animals out of a family pod of less than 60 seem to be the culprits, with the adults training the calves to engage in the behavior.
Spanish scientist Dr. Renaud de Stephanis and his team pinned two satellite tracking units to two of the individuals in the pod in order to give sailors more information about the orcas’ whereabouts. Dr. de Stephanis, who is also president of the Conservation, Information and Research on Cetaceans (CIRCE), told the BBC that the orcas do not seem to be acting out of trauma or (the very human emotion) revenge, but engaging in play:
“It’s only a game. It isn’t revenge [against boats], it isn’t climate change, it’s just a game and that’s it,” said Dr Renaud de Stephanis, a scientist based on the south coast of Spain.
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