Orcas Are Breaking Rudders Off Boats in Europe

These interactions around Spain and Portugal might be a trend among juveniles, scientists say.

Last month, five people had to be rescued after a pod of orcas attacked and sank their sailboat off the coast of Portugal. As the boat took on water, they deployed a life raft and were picked up by a nearby fishing vessel, writes Raffaella Ciccarelli for 9News.

Such an encounter would have been almost unheard of more than a few years ago, but since 2020, marine experts have been noticing these odd human-orca interactions along the coasts of Portugal and Spain. The animals have started approaching sailboats, sometimes striking the rudders and even breaking them off.