New Orca attacks on yachts off coast of Lagos and Sagres

Two private yachts have had to be towed to safety following attacks by orcas off the coast of Lagos and Sagres. These attacks are nothing ‘new’, in that they have been in the news here and there for almost two years now (click here). A pod (or pods) of orcas (also known as killer whales, but in fact the largest species of the dolphin family) has taken exception to small craft, apparently targeting their rudders – meaning the boats end up unable to navigate. Lagos ports captain Pedro Palma urges all sailors to “use good practices” if and when approached by orcas. These include switching off engines so that the animals aren’t antagonised by the sound. The scary part of this is that from what has been posted on Facebook (click here) , it looks like at least one of the boats targeted did not have its engine on when the orcas started their attack.