Orcas rip rudder off boat and follow it all the way to port, in 1st known attack of its kind

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As an alternative of swimming away after they broke the rudder, the orcas adopted the yacht as a rescue boat towed it to port. (Picture credit score: Francois Gohier/VW Pics/Common Photos Group by way of Getty Photos)

A bunch of orcas just lately almost sank one other sailboat within the Strait of Gibraltar and adopted the vessel all the way in which to port — marking the first-known case of the killer whales stalking a ship after destroying its rudder.

Orcas began behaving unusually and attacking boats in 2020. Since July 2020, there have been 744 reported encounters, 505 of which concerned contact between the animals and the ship, based on the Atlantic Orca Working Group (GTOA). One in 5 interactions have prevented boats from crusing on and three have resulted in vessels sinking.