Orcas have long been a human fascination because of their unique intelligence and because orcas are generally regarded as harmless to humans; after all, there are no known reports of orcas killing humans in the wild. Recently, however, orcas have been behaving much more erratically than humans are used to. Namely, they are attacking the sailboat rudders and aimlessly killing porpoises. So why are these orcas going rogue?
Since May of 2020, there have been dozens of recorded cases of orcas breaking off the rudders of small sailboats, according to National Geographic. Small groups of young orcas have been breaking off the key parts of these boats and then swimming away—not attacking the humans, but seemingly deliberately attacking the boats themselves. There are two theories as to why orcas are launching these pointless attacks on human sailboats. One theory is that there is one whale, named White Gladis, responsible for teaching this behavior to a large group of orcas. Scientists suggest that White Gladis is seeking vengeance on human boats after being injured by one, and that the other orcas are copying her behavior. Another theory is that the young orcas are simply tearing off boat rudders as a form of playing. Young orcas go through what National Geographic coins “play fads,” where young orcas copy each other’s behavior as a type of game. If this destructive behavior is a play fad, scientists suggest that the attacks will end once the orcas get bored.
Orcas are also going rogue in their behavior towards other animals. According to National Geographic, southern-located orcas have been killing porpoises—in ways that suggest they are “playing” with their prey—and leaving behind the bodies. This is unusual, because while orcas do eat other fish, that is precisely what they do; eat them. Scientists wonder if the orcas are trying to adapt to eventually use the porpoises as prey, in the absence of other food sources. Usually these southerly orcas eat salmon, but due to climate change, the salmon population is decreasing. The orcas may be killing porpoises as a transitional phase before making porpoises their prey. Climate change, among all of its unexpected repercussions, seems to also be partly responsible for the orcas’ unexpected behavior.
While orcas going rogue may seem random, it is all due to human interference. Harm from human sailboats and human pollution of the environment have led to orcas attacking rudders and killing porpoises. Orcas and countless other animals are affected by humans, so it is important to remember that humans not only share the world with each other, but also with millions of other species of animals. Perhaps the orcas are not really going rogue, but rather, responding to invasive human behavior.
