ORCAS ON THE ATTACK
Since the summer of 2020, boats sailing around the Iberian peninsula have been repeatedly attacked by orcas. Researchers want to understand what drives these wales. Curiosity? Food? Or is it just a game?
Killer wales, or orcas, are the apex predators of the seas. At home in every ocean in the world, they have no natural enemies. Known for their distinctive white eye spots and tall, sword-like dorsal fins, these highly developed creatures live in close social groups. Since the end of the first coronavirus lockdown in May 2020, a subgroup of the Atlantic orca population has been interacting with sailing boats in the Strait of Gibraltar and as far north as the Bay of Biscay. The orcas chase the boats and ram their rudders until they are destroyed. Researchers believe the Gibraltar killer whales are under severe stress due to heavy ship traffic along the Iberian coast, intense competition with humans and other animals for tuna and high levels of noise pollution. This film explores different theories about the orcas’ unusual behaviour and asks what should be done when humans enroach into the natural habitats of animals and encounter other predators.