It's a sea trip they will remember for a long time.
On November 1, four friends were on board a 12-meter sailboat north of Porto (Portugal).
A group of orcas then attacked their boat for 45 minutes.
“The orcas were methodically pounding the hull.
We ended up with a leak and a gaping hole of more than 80 centimeters at the rear, ”explained one of the crew members to the
Telegram
.
They jump in a life raft
To calm the animals, the friends had the reflex to cut the engine and the batteries.
But the method did not work.
Trapped, the friends called a "Mayday", abandoned their sinking boat and rushed aboard a life raft.
Eventually, a Swedish sailboat en route to Tenerife came to their aid.
No sailors were injured.
But their boat sank within moments.
The Portuguese National Maritime Authority (AMN) towed it and assured that no pollution had been detected after this sinking, reports
Faro de Vigo
on November 2.
More frequent attacks
Two explanations are put forward by the director of the Association for the Conservation of Marine Mammals and Birds of Brittany interviewed by
Le Télégramme
.
First, these attacks, which have multiplied over the past two years, could be the work of a single group.
Secondly, the animals could feel attacked by a type of saffron which would create “a particular frequency”.
On
TF1
, the cetologist and member of the Tursiops association Eric Demay wished to recall that killer whales were not dangerous for humans.
For him, these attacks could be "linked to the teaching of hunting or simply the game".
Planet
Killer whales attack boats in the open sea, a mystery for scientists
Planet
Morocco: A Cretaceous marine megapredator has just been discovered by a team of researchers
Portugal
orca
Boat
sinking
Sea
Animals
Planet