The Riddle of the Orcas

The behavior of a group of orcas attacking sailboats off the coasts of Spain, Portugal and in the Strait of Gibraltar is puzzling and leaves room for much speculation: Is the ocean fighting back? Are killer whales avenging the death of a baby in one of the world's busiest waterways? Has a group of orcas even declared humans to be their enemy? Are they defending their habitat from fishermen who have brought their food source, bluefin tuna, to the brink of extinction? Are the orcas fighting back against being forced out of a habitat that is theirs? Or is it all perhaps just a game with an unpredictable outcome?
What seems like a detail from Frank Schaetzing's novel „The Swarm“ has become reality. Dramatic scenes are unfolding off the coast of Portugal, Spain and in the Strait of Gibraltar: Orcas are attacking sailboats, destroying their rudder systems and rendering them unable to maneuver. The traumatized crews have to watch helplessly as their dream of sailing is literally torn to pieces. At sea, they are easy prey for the giants, which attack the boats' rudders in small groups and force the crews to send a call for help to the coast guard or, in extreme cases, to abandon their sinking vessel. Hundreds of such incidents have been documented. But what's behind them?
One question looms: can we still create a sustainable future for humans and orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar and off the coasts of the Iberian Peninsula? Thomas Kaesbohrer takes up the trail of the riddle of the orcas. He talks to affected sailors, marine biologists, conservationists and animal experts and follows the route of the orcas from the coasts of Western Europe to British Columbia and Antarctica. It is a search into a great unknown and into the question of how far man has penetrated into a natural environment that is not his. A gripping book that sheds light on the riddle of the orcas.