Killer Whale Seeks Revenge on Boaters, Scientists Say

Orcas stay in the spotlight as they have repeated interactions with boaters. While orca interactions in the wild are typically harmless, there has been a spike in aggressive behavior towards boats since 2020, according to Alfredo Lopez Fernandez, a biologist at the University of Aveiro in Portugal. Reports of orcas dismantling boat parts off the coast of Spain and Scotland have been making the biggest headlines. Still, more recently, an orca called White Gladis is supposedly acting out of retaliation after being “traumatized” by a boater, and scientists believe the other orcas are learning from her aggressive behavior. Experts claim that White Gladis had a “critical moment of agony,” such as colliding with a vessel or being trapped in illegal fishing activities, LiveScience reported. An event of this nature is believed to make the whale unhappy, resulting in retaliation in the form of ramming boats. Because orcas are very social creatures, Fernandez believes she is teaching other whales to do the same attacks. The full report from LiveScience can be found at https://shorturl.at/djoPR.