Killer Whales Attack Boat Again
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Two French sailors were rescued off the coast of northern Spain after their boat was rammed by orcas.
They were taken safely to shore by the Spanish coastguard after the killer whales attacked their boat's rudder around two miles from the town of Deba, near Bilbao, according to several local media reports.
A pod of orcas made headlines in 2023 for their repeated attacks off the Strait of Gibraltar at Spain's southern tip.
Why it Matters
Rescuers have said orca attacks like this are uncommon in the Basque region, close to France, where they had never before been called to assist in such circumstances.
This has sparked questions about whether this is a one-off or the start of more attacks.
The recurrence of these encounters is raising questions about animal behavior, the risks for boaters, and the future of human—orca interactions in a rapidly changing sea environment.
Newsweek has contacted the Spanish coastguard, via email, for comment.
What To Know
On July 21 two French sailors were rescued off the coast of Deba, in Spain's Basque Country after their 10-meter yacht lost steering following an encounter with two killer whales, said the sources, including Cadena SER.
According to the Spanish maritime safety agency Salvamento Marítimo, the sailors issued a distress call when their rudder was broken, leaving them adrift, though they did not take on water. The rescue vessel Salvamar Orión towed them safely to the port of Getaria.
Researchers and sailors have reported a pattern of orcas approaching from behind and targeting boat rudders. If the vessel is immobilized, the whales often lose interest.
British wildlife conservation professor Volker Deecke warned British sailors to be cautious, especially in orca hotspots like the "orca alley" of the Strait of Gibraltar.
"For some unknown reason, the killer whales have developed a penchant for breaking the rudders of sailboats and once they have achieved this, they leave the boat alone," he told The Telegraph.
Orcas have been causing problems for years in the Strait of Gibraltar and around the Iberian coast, but these attacks have intensified and spread in recent years.
Data shows the attacks peaking in 2022 and making headlines in 2023 but have been common since 2020.
File photo of killer whales, taken off Rausu, Hokkaido, northern Japan, on June 13, 2025.
File photo of killer whales, taken off Rausu, Hokkaido, northern Japan, on June 13, 2025.
AP
What People Are Saying
Captain Dan Kriz, who has been ambushed at least twice by the same pod of orcas, previously told Newsweek: "There is not much one can do. They are very powerful and smart … First time, we could hear them communicating under the boat. This time, they were quiet, and it didn't take them that long to destroy both rudders. Looks like they knew exactly what they are doing. They didn't touch anything else."
Biologist Alfredo López Fernandez, from the University of Aveiro in Portugal and a representative of the Grupo de Trabajo Orca Atlántica (Atlantic Orca Working Group), previously told LiveScience: "The orcas are doing this on purpose, of course, we don't know the origin or the motivation, but defensive behavior based on trauma, as the origin of all this, gains more strength for us every day."
What Happens Next
Spanish authorities continue to monitor incidents, issue advisories during peak activity periods from May to August, and advocate boaters' compliance with best-practice guidelines to avoid escalating confrontations.
Scientists remain divided on the causes behind this pattern, proposing theories from learned behavior due to trauma, playful social learning, or even practice for hunting.
Both researchers and conservationists continue to emphasize the importance of protecting the endangered orca subpopulation while safeguarding sailors. Increased surveillance, further study, and public education campaigns are anticipated as both communities seek sustainable coexistence.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
44 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Crews Searching for 3 Missing People After Small Plane Crash in California
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A large-scale search is underway for three missing people off the coast of Northern California after a small plane crashed late Saturday, United States Coast Guard (USCG) Petty Officer Ryan Graves told Newsweek by phone Sunday. Multiple agencies continue to search the waters off Pacific Grove, near Monterey on Sunday for the aircraft, which is a private Beechcraft twin engine, according to Graves. While the crews "have located some of the debris, the search is still ongoing," Graves told Newsweek. The identities and ages of the people on board were not immediately known. "The FAA issued an Alert Notice (ALNOT) for a Beechcraft BE55 off the coast of Pacific Grove, California on July 26," Steve Kulm, public affairs specialist for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), told Newsweek in an email Sunday. A spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) told Newsweek in an email on Sunday morning that they had "no information to report from NTSB at this time." Why It Matters This crash is the latest in a series of aircraft issues and crashes that have sparked national and international interest, many of them ending in fatalities and ongoing investigations. The ALNOT alert issued by the FAA is to alert public safety agencies, pilots and airports to begin looking for missing aircraft. The incident draws attention to ongoing safety concerns associated with private aircraft operations along California's coastline, as well as the resources and coordination required for air-sea rescue missions. What To Know The plane took off from the San Carlos Airport just before 11 p.m. with the crash being reported around 10:55 p.m. local time, Graves said. Graves told Newsweek the USCG launched a 47-foot lifeboat from Monterey and was on scene 15 minutes after they first received notification. A helicopter was also launched by the San Francisco Coast Guard as part of the response. Multiple agencies responded including, the Pacific Grove Police Department, Monterey Fire and Cal Fire, which sent three boats to the scene. The debris field is about 200-300 yards from Point Pinos, according to Graves. Many searchers have remained on scene since 11 p.m. local time Saturday and have continued into the morning hours. The San Carlos Airport is about 10 miles north of Palo Alto, and about 100 miles northeast of Monterey. Pacific Grove, meanwhile, sits just north of the famed Pebble Beach golf course. Views from 17-Mile Drive, a scenic road through Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach on the Monterey Peninsula in California on September 25, 2012. Views from 17-Mile Drive, a scenic road through Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach on the Monterey Peninsula in California on September 25, 2012. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images What People Are Saying Steve Kulm, public affairs specialist for the FAA, told Newsweek in an email Sunday: "The FAA issued an Alert Notice (ALNOT) for a Beechcraft BE55 off the coast of Pacific Grove, California on July 26. Three people were on board. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate. The NTSB is the lead investigating agency and will provide any updates." What Happens Next? The search and rescue operation off Monterey is ongoing. Officials are expected to provide updates as the search continues, potentially involving additional resources or shifting focus based on emerging evidence. Agencies such as the NTSB typically conduct thorough inquiries into the causes of such aircraft accidents.
Los Angeles Times
3 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
4 homemade dog recipes fit for a canine king or queen
My dog's name is Milady — as you'd refer to an English noblewoman — and she lives up to it. She declines to go out in the rain, all 22 pounds of her holding strong as I lightly tug her leash in encouragement. Whenever someone comes over, she perches on their lap as if it's a throne. And despite my best efforts to break this habit, whenever I make a meal or order in, she hovers around my feet waiting for a treat of her own. After I've made my plate and if I deign to sit down and eat, she'll stubbornly stand in the kitchen and stare at me until I acquiesce. But Milady is the closest thing I have to a child, and as recipe developer Carolynn Carreño wrote about her dog Rufus, 'I felt it was my responsibility that Rufus lived as long as caninely possible, and to make sure that Rufus' every day on Earth was as good as I could make it.' For Carreño, that meant adopting the progressive-at-the-time task of making Rufus' food from scratch, especially after learning from a friend that many store-bought formulas contain corn and wheat — potential allergens for dogs. Instead, she purchased made-just-for-your-pet meat blends at Huntington Meats and mixed in steamed or baked sweet potatoes, fresh broccoli, ground beef and bone meal for a concoction she called Rufus' hash. While Milady typically eats vet-approved kibble and I don't make her food daily, during the summer her treats turn from dehydrated slices of sweet potato to bone broth that I freeze into cubes with blueberries, cucumbers or raspberries. And who knows? Maybe I'll start following Carreño's example and eventually devise a homemade meal plan for Milady. In the meantime, I'll be gauging her tastes with the following recipes. Eating out this week? Sign up for Tasting Notes to get our restaurant experts' insights and off-the-cuff takes on where they're dining right now. Carreño recommends using her recipe for Rufus as a 'jumping-off point' and adjusting based on what your pup likes. She recommends making the mixture in big batches, freezing it and stirring in boiling bone broth or water before the recipe. Cook time: 25 minutes. Makes about 3 quarts. Novelist and food writer Michelle Huneven rescued a dog — Tatty Jane — that had previously suffered from a bad diet. Determined to rectify that, she began researching homemade dog food and eventually landed on a blend of the following recipe with a topping of vet-approved kibble to ensure Tatty Jane got all of her recommended trace vitamins and the recipe. Cook time: 1 hour. Makes about 5 quarts. Former Food editor Amy Scattergood scored this recipe for dog biscuits from chef Lincoln Carson of now-shuttered Bon Temps restaurant. Carson once sold these treats alongside his famous French pastries. The recipe is perfect for vegetarians who prefer not to handle the recipe. Cook time: 2 hours 30 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen cookies. This gluten-free dog biscuit recipe was crafted by former Lincoln Cafe and Flower Candy Co. chef Cecilia Leung, with peanut butter as the main ingredient, along with grains and flours you might already have in your pantry. Get the recipe. Cook time: 1 hour. Makes about 3 dozen biscuits.
Newsweek
4 hours ago
- Newsweek
Man Finds Kitten 'Baking' in Walmart Lot Heat—so He Got To Work
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. What began as a trip to the store for cat litter turned into a rescue mission for Norman Benford, 52, from Altoona, Pennsylvania. When heading to Walmart, Benford heard from his partner that there was a kitten trapped underneath a gazebo at the store, and he knew what to do. "I was heading out to Walmart for cat litter to donate to our local shelter," Benford told Newsweek. "My partner mentioned that somebody had posted in a local pet rescue group earlier in the morning about a possibly feral kitten in distress." Equipped with a carrier, gloves, and a broom, Benford arrived to find several Walmart employees attempting to lure the tiny kitten out. She was buried among garbage and unreachable under the structure when Benford used the broom to clear debris. The cat then bolted toward a row of shopping carts and disappeared into the undercarriage of a truck. Pictures of Benford and the kitten he rescued from the Walmart car park. Pictures of Benford and the kitten he rescued from the Walmart car park. NormanB616/Reddit The driver was quick to assist, kicking the floor from inside the truck and opening the hood to expose the kitten's hiding spot. Fifteen minutes later, he had managed to get hold of the kitten. "I forcefully scruffed her and pulled her out from the truck and plopped her into the carrier. I was not going to let her escape again to die of heat exposure or get crushed by a car in the parking lot," Benford said. The kitten was in a sad condition: overheated, wounded, filthy, and covered in fleas and feces. Benford sprung into action and brought her to Tiny Paws NICU—a local rescue specializing in neonatal kittens. "I had never encountered a kitten this small and in this condition in the wild, and I needed guidance," he said, crediting Adele and Janelle from Tiny Paws for their support. In 2024, approximately 7 million animals entered U.S. shelters and rescues, according to Shelter Animals Count—an increase of nearly 3 percent from 2023. Of animals that entered shelters, 60 percent were stray. Five baths and lots of attention later, the kitten has begun to show signs of comfort and trust. "She is sweet and will sit in my lap on the back porch and relax for extended periods of time," Benford said. "She has a tiny little meow but the biggest purr when she is content and happy." Pictures of the kitten who is now settling well into her new home. Pictures of the kitten who is now settling well into her new home. NormanB616/Reddit Benford shared the story of the kitten rescue on Reddit where the post has over 30,000 views. Here he shared: "So, this little girl was literally baking underneath the employee gazebo at my local Walmart." In the comments, people shared their reactions. "Thank you for saving her," said one Redditor. While another wrote: "You're rad humans! May the universe bring you joy for your kindness." Now approximately eight weeks old, the currently unnamed kitten continues to recover in quarantine with Benford, away from his seven other cats. The hope is to adopt her permanently. "We intend to do everything to make it work. We're very much in love with this adorable little life that the universe put in our care," he said. Benford thanked Tiny Paws NICU for their help with the kitten: "They are a self-funded, registered 501(C)3 non-profit doing financially and emotionally draining work... I have the utmost respect for them and the work they do." Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
