{"id":108883,"date":"2024-05-18T21:29:44","date_gmt":"2024-05-18T15:59:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=current-affairs&#038;p=108883"},"modified":"2025-02-13T11:29:26","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T05:59:26","slug":"orcas-and-orca-attacks","status":"publish","type":"current-affairs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/orcas-and-orca-attacks","title":{"rendered":"Rising Orca Attacks on Boats in Strait of Gibraltar: A Multinational Concern"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to a <\/span><b>report by The New York Times,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> there is a<\/span><b> high frequency of the interactions between orcas and boats near the Strait of Gibraltar,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> hence becoming a<\/span><b> multinational issue.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Orca Attacks on Boats Surge Near Strait of Gibraltar, Raising Multinational Concerns<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two people were rescued on <\/span><b>May 12<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> after a group of <\/span><b>orcas sank their 15-meter-long sailing yacht in the Strait of Gibraltar,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 22.5 kilometers off the coast of Morocco.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Data by the research group GT Atlantic Orca (GTOA)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> show that since 2020 (when the rise in targeting of boats was first observed), there have been<\/span><b> more than 700 interactions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> between orcas and boats near the Strait of Gibraltar.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Course<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100.1%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\">\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><strong>Strait of Gibraltar:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-109033 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-20t112714948-664b03e994af3.webp\" alt=\"Orca Attacks\" width=\"401\" height=\"256\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-20t112714948-664b03e994af3.webp 1600w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-20t112714948-664b03e994af3-300x192.webp 300w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-20t112714948-664b03e994af3-1024x654.webp 1024w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-20t112714948-664b03e994af3-768x491.webp 768w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-20t112714948-664b03e994af3-1536x981.webp 1536w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-20t112714948-664b03e994af3-1568x1002.webp 1568w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is a narrow waterway<\/span><b> separating Europe from Africa and connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It <\/span><b>acts as a chokepoint<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for the ships that move into or out of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a <\/span><b>vital shipping route<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for the countries of <\/span><b>northern Africa, southern Europe and western Asia.<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Strait<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can be defined as<\/span><b> a naturally formed narrow strip of water between two continents,<\/b> <b>islands or two larger bodies of water.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>About Orcas<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-109034 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-20t112719126-664b03e7dbd09.webp\" alt=\"Orca Attacks\" width=\"402\" height=\"268\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-20t112719126-664b03e7dbd09.webp 1029w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-20t112719126-664b03e7dbd09-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-20t112719126-664b03e7dbd09-1024x684.webp 1024w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-20t112719126-664b03e7dbd09-768x513.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 402px) 100vw, 402px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Also known as: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Orcas are also known as<\/span><b> killer whales<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and are the largest of the dolphins.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Characteristic Features:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Color: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They are immediately recognizable by their <\/span><b>distinctive black-and-white <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">coloring.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Size: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They can measure up to<\/span><b> 8 meters in length and weigh up to 6 tonnes <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">as adults.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Nature: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They are <\/span><b>highly intelligent and curious mammals, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">who are not known to be aggressive against humans in the wild.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Powerful Predators:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Orcas are one of the world&#8217;s most powerful predators.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Echolocation: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smart and social, orcas make a wide variety of<\/span><b> communicative sounds, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and each pod has distinctive noises that its members will recognize even at a distance.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: disc;\">\n<li><b>Pods<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> refer to groups of maternally related individuals seen together more than half the time.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They use echolocation to <\/span><b>communicate and hunt,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> making sounds that travel underwater until they encounter objects, then bounce back, revealing their location, size, and shape.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Status: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Orcas are considered <\/span><b>Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of Threatened species.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Orcas are listed under <\/span><b>CITES Appendix II <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(species that are not necessarily now threatened with extinction, but that may become so unless trade is closely controlled).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Reason of Attack on Boats by Orcas<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Unusual Behavior:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Despite the growing research, scientists said that this behavior by orcas is unusual, but are yet to ascertain why exactly the animals have been targeting the boats.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Possible Reasons: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scientists have come up with two possibilities- either the orcas are <\/span><b>playing around <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">or they are <\/span><b>reacting to negative experiences<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with the boats.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><b>The Orcas are Playing Around: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some scientists believe that targeting boats could be just a form of play or a fad \u2014 a behavior initiated by one or two individuals and temporarily picked up by others before it is abandoned.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>The Orcas are Attacking: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to this theory, a traumatic event must have happened with one or two orcas, triggering a change in their behavior, which is being imitated by the rest of the population near the Strait of Gibraltar.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Arising Concern: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regardless of the reason behind orcas targeting the boats, researchers fear that if such incidents continue to take place it would not only<\/span><b> endanger the lives of mariners <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">but also become <\/span><b>a conservation issue for orcas.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc\/pw-only-ias?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Classes<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100.248%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"height: 36px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 4927.36%; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; height: 36px;\" colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Must Read<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 30px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 54.4983%; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; height: 30px;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/ncert-notes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NCERT Notes For UPSC<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 4872.86%; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; height: 30px;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/daily-current-affairs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UPSC Daily Current Affairs<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 30px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 54.4983%; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; height: 30px;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/blogs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UPSC Blogs<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 4872.86%; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; height: 30px;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UPSC Daily Editorials<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 30px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 54.4983%; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; height: 30px;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/quiz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Daily Current Affairs Quiz<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 4872.86%; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; height: 30px;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/mains-answer-writing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Daily Main Answer Writing<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 30px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 54.4983%; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; height: 30px;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/mains-previous-year-papers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UPSC Mains Previous Year Papers<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 4872.86%; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; height: 30px;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-test-series-courses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UPSC Test Series 2024<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Surge in orca attacks on boats near the Strait of Gibraltar raises multinational concerns. Over 700 interactions since 2020 highlight the need for understanding and addressing this unusual behavior.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":109092,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"paper-wise":[2089],"subject":[4642],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/108883"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/current-affairs"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108883"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/108883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":109045,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/108883\/revisions\/109045"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108883"},{"taxonomy":"paper-wise","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/paper-wise?post=108883"},{"taxonomy":"subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/subject?post=108883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}