Latest news with #Orca
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Killer whales strike AGAIN off Spain as bloodthirsty ‘White Gladis' pod smashes yacht sparking frantic rescue mission
A PACK of killer whales have struck again in the Atlantic after nearly capsizing a yacht and leaving a helpless crew fearing for their lives. The terrifying encounter, said to be linked to the 4 A pack of killer whales nearly capsized a yacht off Spain after attacking the rudder Credit: Rita Sobot 4 The crew were stranded at sea after their boat was struck by at least two orcas Credit: Rita Sobot 4 A frantic rescue mission was quickly launched by Maritime Rescue for the two men on board Credit: Rita Sobot Shocked witnesses first reported the dangerous scenes after several orcas surrounded the 30ft boat which was stranded out at sea. At least two of the beasts then attacked and left the ship severely damaging with the rudder shredded. A frantic rescue mission was quickly launched by Maritime Rescue for the two men on board. Miraculously the boat stayed intact and above water for long enough for the pair to be saved and towed back to port. The entire mission took a staggering three hours to complete from the moment the men first raised the alarm. Posting a picture on the social networks, the relieved duo said: "NOTICE TO SAILORS!! Yesterday afternoon at the height of Deba, the group of ORCAS that sail through our waters, attacked this sailboat. "Maritime Rescue of Getaria had to come to the rescue." The boat was French registered and both occupants are thought to be from France. Most read in The US Sun One was aged 60. This type of situation involving orcas has already occurred on other occasions in waters of southern Spain and in Galicia. I joined Orca team searching for White Gladis & trying to solve mystery of why her pod are sinking yachts off Gibraltar Killer whales have previously sunk one boat in the Straits of Gibraltar and caused damage to numerous others off the coast of Spain . Orcas even disrupted a sailing race last year, when a boat travelling from the Netherlands to Italy had a 15-minute encounter with the animals. This prompted the crew to drop their craft's sails and raise a clatter to fend them off. The latest attacks have prompted warnings for Brit sailors. Professor Volker Deecke, an academic at University of Cumbria in the conservation of marine mammals and behavioural aspects of conservation biology, told the "The same guidance applies for sailors encountering any killer whales in Cornish waters." Earlier this month, wildlife experts confirmed they had spotted Iberian orcas in Cornish waters for the first time. And in July of last year, a Brit yachtsman posted video footage of his Robert Powell and two others on the Bonhomme William had to be rescued by coastguards after their vessel capsized in the Strait of Gibraltar . Last year, Brit couple Janet Morris, 58, and Stephen Bidwell, 58, from , were involved in a whale attack that . The orcas off the Iberian coast often average between 16ft to 21ft in length. They are considerably smaller than orcas in Antarctica who can reach over 29ft. The attacks tend to happen between May and August but researchers don't believe they are often aggressively commited. Instead, some orcas may disrupt boats out of sheer boredom. Other experts fear that one main culprit may be teaching other orcas how to strike. Read more on the Irish Sun A majestic beast, named White Gladis, has been terrorising sailors around the coast of Gibraltar over the past four years. Alfredo López Fernandez, a biologist at the University of Aveiro, Portugal, and member of the Atlantic Orca working group believes a 'critical moment of agony' made White Gladis aggressive towards boats. Why do orcas attack boats? WHILE researchers are unsure exactly why killer whales have been attacking boats so often lately, many theories have been put forward. Some experts suggest it could be a playful manifestation of the animals' curiosity. But others fear a "critical moment of agony" such as a collision may have sparked aggression towards boats. Alfredo López Fernandez, a biologist at the University of Aveiro in Portugal, told Some even speculate White Gladis may now be spurring fellow killer whales on. Orcas are the largest members of the oceanic dolphin family. Although they never attack humans, the apex predators can take down large groups of whales, hence the name killer. What makes them a unique marine mammal is that they often hunt in lethal pods and family groups of up to 40 individuals - and feast on fish, dolphins, seal lions, seals, sharks and stingrays. The carnivores can grow up to 32ft long and weigh up to six tons - and are immediately recognizable by their distinctive black-and-white colouring. 4 Footage posted by Robert Powell showed the yacht sinking into the water last July Credit: Solarpix
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- General
- Scottish Sun
Killer whales strike AGAIN off Spain as bloodthirsty ‘White Gladis' pod smashes yacht sparking frantic rescue mission
Brit sailors have also been warned that they could face killer waters in UK waters WHALE FRIGHT Killer whales strike AGAIN off Spain as bloodthirsty 'White Gladis' pod smashes yacht sparking frantic rescue mission Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A PACK of killer whales have struck again in the Atlantic after nearly capsizing a yacht and leaving a helpless crew fearing for their lives. The terrifying encounter, said to be linked to the bloodthirsty White Gladis pod, took place two miles north of the Spanish town of Deba. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 A pack of killer whales nearly capsized a yacht off Spain after attacking the rudder Credit: Rita Sobot 4 The crew were stranded at sea after their boat was struck by at least two orcas Credit: Rita Sobot 4 A frantic rescue mission was quickly launched by Maritime Rescue for the two men on board Credit: Rita Sobot Shocked witnesses first reported the dangerous scenes after several orcas surrounded the 30ft boat which was stranded out at sea. At least two of the beasts then attacked and left the ship severely damaging with the rudder shredded. A frantic rescue mission was quickly launched by Maritime Rescue for the two men on board. Miraculously the boat stayed intact and above water for long enough for the pair to be saved and towed back to port. The entire mission took a staggering three hours to complete from the moment the men first raised the alarm. Posting a picture on the social networks, the relieved duo said: "NOTICE TO SAILORS!! Yesterday afternoon at the height of Deba, the group of ORCAS that sail through our waters, attacked this sailboat. "Maritime Rescue of Getaria had to come to the rescue." The boat was French registered and both occupants are thought to be from France. One was aged 60. This type of situation involving orcas has already occurred on other occasions in waters of southern Spain and in Galicia. I joined Orca team searching for White Gladis & trying to solve mystery of why her pod are sinking yachts off Gibraltar Killer whales have previously sunk one boat in the Straits of Gibraltar and caused damage to numerous others off the coast of Spain. Orcas even disrupted a sailing race last year, when a boat travelling from the Netherlands to Italy had a 15-minute encounter with the animals. This prompted the crew to drop their craft's sails and raise a clatter to fend them off. The latest attacks have prompted warnings for Brit sailors. Professor Volker Deecke, an academic at University of Cumbria in the conservation of marine mammals and behavioural aspects of conservation biology, told the Daily Telegraph: "UK sailors transiting the hotspots should definitely familiarise themselves with the guidance. "The same guidance applies for sailors encountering any killer whales in Cornish waters." Earlier this month, wildlife experts confirmed they had spotted Iberian orcas in Cornish waters for the first time. And in July of last year, a Brit yachtsman posted video footage of his boat sinking after it was attacked by orcas. Robert Powell and two others on the Bonhomme William had to be rescued by coastguards after their vessel capsized in the Strait of Gibraltar. Last year, Brit couple Janet Morris, 58, and Stephen Bidwell, 58, from Cambridge, were involved in a whale attack that lasted for an hour. The orcas off the Iberian coast often average between 16ft to 21ft in length. They are considerably smaller than orcas in Antarctica who can reach over 29ft. The attacks tend to happen between May and August but researchers don't believe they are often aggressively commited. Instead, some orcas may disrupt boats out of sheer boredom. Other experts fear that one main culprit may be teaching other orcas how to strike. A majestic beast, named White Gladis, has been terrorising sailors around the coast of Gibraltar over the past four years. Alfredo López Fernandez, a biologist at the University of Aveiro, Portugal, and member of the Atlantic Orca working group believes a 'critical moment of agony' made White Gladis aggressive towards boats. Why do orcas attack boats? WHILE researchers are unsure exactly why killer whales have been attacking boats so often lately, many theories have been put forward. Some experts suggest it could be a playful manifestation of the animals' curiosity. But others fear a "critical moment of agony" such as a collision may have sparked aggression towards boats. Alfredo López Fernandez, a biologist at the University of Aveiro in Portugal, told LiveScience: "That traumatized orca is the one that started this behaviour of physical contact with the boat." Some even speculate White Gladis may now be spurring fellow killer whales on. Orcas are the largest members of the oceanic dolphin family. Although they never attack humans, the apex predators can take down large groups of whales, hence the name killer. What makes them a unique marine mammal is that they often hunt in lethal pods and family groups of up to 40 individuals - and feast on fish, dolphins, seal lions, seals, sharks and stingrays. The carnivores can grow up to 32ft long and weigh up to six tons - and are immediately recognizable by their distinctive black-and-white colouring.
Otago Daily Times
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Out of their league
The New Zealand rugby league team selected for a tour of Australia. — Otago Witness, 14.7.1925 Site for crematorium The New Zealand Rugby League team, though defeated by 7 points to 4, won all the honours in a hard and rugged conflict with New South Wales in the presence of 25,000 people. The Blacks vanguard gave a fine exhibition throughout the contest, but the backs were unable to finalise the forwards' good work when the critical moment arrived. Though only one try was registered the New Zealanders should have crossed the New South Wales line several times; in fact, they did on two occasions, but breaches extricated the Blues from awkward situations. The Blacks electrified the spectators with a brilliant three-quarter rush just on time, but a knock-on near the line spoilt a certain try. The move to establish a crematorium in Dunedin is at last beginning to take definite shape. The question of site is now practically settled. The Cremation Committee received a letter from the town clerk intimating that the Reserves Committee had selected a site at the Anderson's Bay Cemetery. Members of the committee, accompanied by the superintendent of reserves (Mr D. Tannock), visited the site on Wednesday, and it was considered an excellent one. The committee is now busily engaged in the collection of the £500 which the council requires the society to find as its quota towards the cost, and already practically half that sum has been raised. Matters are thus proceeding apace, and before long necessary buildings and equipment should be well under way. Whale family caught The other day Picton was thrown into a high pitch of excitement by the appearance of three whales in the harbour, and for about an hour business within view of the water was at a standstill. The news spread rapidly, and within a remarkably short space of time the foreshore and all points of vantage were lined with interested spectators. The whales, which proved to be father, mother and son, were first plainly seen spouting within a stone's throw of the wharf, and for a full half-hour were careering round within sight. Telephone messages were immediately sent to the whaling stations, and the crowd hoped that the fast boats would arrive in time for the "kill" to be witnessed from the land. Well within an hour the first whale-boat, Miss Wekanui, hove in sight, followed by the Orca and the remainder of the whaling fleet. The calf soon fell a victim to Miss Wekanui, and the Orca's bomb proved fatal to the cow, which, however, sank while being fastened to the Crescent for towing. The bull whale had, in the meantime, shot away toward Allport's Island, with the whalers in full chase. Mr J. Perano's party was successful in gaining the prize, which, with the calf, was immediately towed by the Waitohi to the boiling-down works at Te Awaite. The "kill" of the first two was plainly seen from Picton. Suppression, remand for accused Mr J.R. Bartholomew SM presided over a short sitting of the City Police Court on Saturday, when a young woman who had previously been remanded on a charge of obtaining a pair of ladies' shoes, valued at £2 2s 6d, by false pretences, was further remanded for a week to enable inquiries to be made concerning other possible charges. Chief-detective Lewis, who prosecuted, said the police had reason to think that there might be someone whom the accused was trying to shield. — ODT, 13.7.1925 Compiled by Peter Dowden
Miami Herald
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Steven Spielberg shares ‘Jaws' nightmares in ‘Jaws @ 50' doc
LOS ANGELES, July 9 (UPI) -- Director Laurent Bouzerau says his documentary Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story, premiering Thursday on National Geographic, gave director Steven Spielberg a chance to open up about his traumatic experiences making Jaws. Jaws was a famously troubled production, from mechanical shark malfunctions to weather delays filming at sea. For the documentary, Spielberg told Bouzereau about having nightmares about production even after the 1975 film became a blockbuster hit. In a recent Zoom interview with UPI, Bouzerau discussed his approach to Spielberg, whose films he has documented throughout his own career. Bouzereau said the 50th anniversary of Jaws gave Spielberg new perspective on how the film forged his career. "Having had my own journey as a person for over 50 years now, we can all relate to things that can either make you or break you," Bouzereau said. "I certainly was surprised by the generosity that he offered by sharing those stories with me." Those stories included Spielberg hiding on the Orca -- the boat Brody (Roy Scheider), Hooper (Richard Dreyfus) and Quint (Robert Shaw) sail to hunt the shark -- when it was moved to the Universal backlot for the studio tour. "I feel also the 50 year perspective, after the career he's had, is very different from the way he's talked about Jaws before," Bouzereau said. "And not with the kind of heart and soul that I think he poured into this new documentary." Jaws @ 50 relates how Spielberg took a meeting at Universal Pictures after making The Sugarland Express for the studio. He gravitated towards Peter Benchley's book Jaws, which inspired the film, in galley form before it was published. Benchley's widow, Wendy, and their children are featured in the documentary. Wendy visited the production in Martha's Vineyard with Peter and recalls Peter trying to convince Spielberg to reduce the shark's length from 25 to a more realistic 15 feet. "Steven understood that if you were going to have a dramatic movie, you needed to have a shark that was big enough to swallow somebody whole," Wendy said. "So he had the right instincts for the movie and I think Peter had the right instincts for a book." Jaws is credited with starting the summer blockbuster. The film itself spawned three sequels, which Bouzerau decided were not part of Spielberg's story. "After Jaws, he was on the path of doing Close Encounters [of the Third Kind]," Bouzereau said. "I wanted to really end on the high note which is cinema has been changed and Jaws is a unique experience." Not that Bouzereau considers Jaws: The Revenge, the fourth film, a low point. He just felt it would be too convoluted to explain the sequels. "I'm not criticizing those films," he said. "I don't dislike Jaws 2. I saw it when it came out and I really like that director [Jeannot Szwarc] as well. He did a movie called Somewhere in Time with Christopher Reeve that was really good." The Benchleys never saw the three sequels either. "We were not involved at all with them so I have no opinion," Wendy said. "It's wonderful. Why not? But, from what I hear from people, the original is the best." Another perspective Bouzereau wanted to bring to Jaws @ 50 was the film's influence on subsequent generations of filmmakers. James Cameron, Steven Soderbergh, J.J. Abrams, Guillermo del Toro and Jordan Peele also share how Jaws influenced their craft. "Generationally. the film had been passed on from a certain type of director," Bouzeareau said. "When you talk to someone like Jordan Peele, who's clearly two generations away from Steven, the fact that he uses Jaws as an example of his type of storytelling is remarkable." The success of Jaws also led the Benchleys into careers in ocean conservation. Because the shark in Jaws was scary, it led to excessive hunting of sharks. Wendy's work with Environmental Defense Fun and Wild Aid has shown her that both protecting sharks and the ocean environments have led to improvements. "There are acres and acres of marine protected areas around the world now," she said. "If you leave the ocean alone, the coral will come back. The fish will come back. You will have much more biomass and those fish will be bigger and when they swim out, they can be caught for food." Cameron is also involved in ocean and shark conservation in addition to filmmaking. It was Bouzereau's goal to show that the legacy of Jaws is more than nostalgia. "All those cast members of my film were chosen very specifically to address a layer that I felt was needed to prove my point that Jaws is as useful as it was 50 years ago," he said. Jaws @ 50 premieres Thursday on National Geographic and will stream on Disney+ and Hulu Friday. 2025 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
UPI
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- UPI
Steven Spielberg shares 'Jaws' nightmares in 'Jaws @ 50' doc
1 of 5 | Steven Spielberg (L) sits down with Laurent Bouzereau in "Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story," premiering Thursday on National Geographic. Photo courtesy of National Geographic LOS ANGELES, July 9 (UPI) -- Director Laurent Bouzerau says his documentary Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story, premiering Thursday on National Geographic, gave director Steven Spielberg a chance to open up about his traumatic experiences making Jaws. Jaws was a famously troubled production, from mechanical shark malfunctions to weather delays filming at sea. For the documentary, Spielberg told Bouzereau about having nightmares about production even after the 1975 film became a blockbuster hit. In a recent Zoom interview with UPI, Bouzerau discussed his approach to Spielberg, whose films he has documented throughout his own career. Bouzereau said the 50th anniversary of Jaws gave Spielberg new perspective on how the film forged his career. "Having had my own journey as a person for over 50 years now, we can all relate to things that can either make you or break you," Bouzereau said. "I certainly was surprised by the generosity that he offered by sharing those stories with me." Those stories included Spielberg hiding on the Orca -- the boat Brody (Roy Scheider), Hooper (Richard Dreyfus) and Quint (Robert Shaw) sail to hunt the shark -- when it was moved to the Universal backlot for the studio tour. "I feel also the 50 year perspective, after the career he's had, is very different from the way he's talked about Jaws before," Bouzereau said. "And not with the kind of heart and soul that I think he poured into this new documentary." Jaws @ 50 relates how Spielberg took a meeting at Universal Pictures after making The Sugarland Express for the studio. He gravitated towards Peter Benchley's book Jaws, which inspired the film, in galley form before it was published. Benchley's widow, Wendy, and their children are featured in the documentary. Wendy visited the production in Martha's Vineyard with Peter and recalls Peter trying to convince Spielberg to reduce the shark's length from 25 to a more realistic 15 feet. "Steven understood that if you were going to have a dramatic movie, you needed to have a shark that was big enough to swallow somebody whole," Wendy said. "So he had the right instincts for the movie and I think Peter had the right instincts for a book." Jaws is credited with starting the summer blockbuster. The film itself spawned three sequels, which Bouzerau decided were not part of Spielberg's story. "After Jaws, he was on the path of doing Close Encounters [of the Third Kind]," Bouzereau said. "I wanted to really end on the high note which is cinema has been changed and Jaws is a unique experience." Not that Bouzereau considers Jaws: The Revenge, the fourth film, a low point. He just felt it would be too convoluted to explain the sequels. "I'm not criticizing those films," he said. "I don't dislike Jaws 2. I saw it when it came out and I really like that director [Jeannot Szwarc] as well. He did a movie called Somewhere in Time with Christopher Reeve that was really good." The Benchleys never saw the three sequels either. "We were not involved at all with them so I have no opinion," Wendy said. "It's wonderful. Why not? But, from what I hear from people, the original is the best." Another perspective Bouzereau wanted to bring to Jaws @ 50 was the film's influence on subsequent generations of filmmakers. James Cameron, Steven Soderbergh, J.J. Abrams, Guillermo del Toro and Jordan Peele also share how Jaws influenced their craft. "Generationally. the film had been passed on from a certain type of director," Bouzeareau said. "When you talk to someone like Jordan Peele, who's clearly two generations away from Steven, the fact that he uses Jaws as an example of his type of storytelling is remarkable." The success of Jaws also led the Benchleys into careers in ocean conservation. Because the shark in Jaws was scary, it led to excessive hunting of sharks. Wendy's work with Environmental Defense Fun and Wild Aid has shown her that both protecting sharks and the ocean environments have led to improvements. "There are acres and acres of marine protected areas around the world now," she said. "If you leave the ocean alone, the coral will come back. The fish will come back. You will have much more biomass and those fish will be bigger and when they swim out, they can be caught for food." Cameron is also involved in ocean and shark conservation in addition to filmmaking. It was Bouzereau's goal to show that the legacy of Jaws is more than nostalgia. "All those cast members of my film were chosen very specifically to address a layer that I felt was needed to prove my point that Jaws is as useful as it was 50 years ago," he said. Jaws @ 50 premieres Thursday on National Geographic and will stream on Disney+ and Hulu Friday.
