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In recent months, there have been numerous incidents of orcas in the waters off the Iberian Peninsula ramming boats. This year alone, three boats have been sunk and several more have been damaged. The most recent incident involved a catamaran that lost both of its rudders, leading the boat’s captain to suggest that the orcas have become more stealthy and efficient in their attacks. It’s a fascinating theory that has caught the attention of the media and the public: cetacean vengeance.
Alfredo López Fernandez, a biologist at the University of Aveiro in Portugal, believes that the orcas are intentionally causing these incidents. He speculates that a specific female orca known as White Gladis may have experienced a traumatic event caused by humans, retaliated by attacking a boat, and then taught other orcas to do the same. While the origin and motivation of these attacks are still unknown, López Fernandez believes that defensive behavior based on trauma is becoming a more plausible explanation.
The internet has quickly embraced White Gladis and her fellow orcas as folk heroes. Some people view these attacks as a larger mobilization towards balance in response to human actions. However, it’s important to understand that these orcas are likely playing with the boats rather than attacking them. Monika Wieland Shields, co-director of the Orca Behavior Institute, suggests that a juvenile orca may have started this behavior, and it spread throughout the killer whale community. Similar cultural trends have been observed before, such as orcas playing with buoys and crab pots.
Contrary to López Fernandez’s theory of orca trauma, Shields points out that White Gladis shows no physical evidence of injury or trauma. Additionally, humans have been responsible for invading orca habitats, kidnapping their young, and killing them for years. Yet, there has never been a documented case of orcas killing humans in the wild. This raises the question of why they would suddenly react now.
While recent events may seem to align with the narrative of these orcas being anti-colonial warriors, it is important to avoid selectively anthropomorphizing animals. Orcas have a complex and sometimes violent nature. They are capable of hunting and slaughtering sharks by the dozen, playing with their prey, and even torturing baby seals to death. Applying human ethical standards to apex predators can lead to a dark understanding.
The idea of an #orcauprising may not be surprising, considering humanity’s long history of attributing higher meaning to cetaceans. Whether it’s Moby Dick symbolizing the sublime or the biblical whale serving as an instrument of divine retribution, humans have often projected their own ideas onto these magnificent creatures. Orcas, in particular, have been both feared and sympathized with, with instances of anti-capitalist sentiment tied to their exploitation in entertainment parks. The “orca uprising” narrative fits within this context, offering a sense of justice in the face of environmental catastrophe.
However, it’s important to recognize that projection and anthropomorphization are shortcuts to shallow sympathy. Orcas are capable of intense grief and complex emotions, but they are not human. They have their own intelligence, behaviors, and instincts that make them unique creatures. Understanding and appreciating them requires acknowledging their differences from us.
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