The boat didn't stand a chance. The attack came on a bright summer's day in the Strait of Gibraltar, between Spain and Morocco. The terrified crew watched black and white shapes rise from the deep, encircleForm a circle around the ship and ram its hull. A pod of orcas - named after the Roman god Orcus: ruler of the dead, punisher of broken oaths.

The killer whales wrenched off the rudders, then vanished beneath the waves. This behaviour is "completely extraordinary", says biologist Hanne Strager. These beasts rarely attack boats and have never killed anyone in the wild. But after 500 similar incidents since 2020, and three yachts sunk, there is talk of an "orca uprising".

The rebel leader is the matriarchA female leader of a family or community. White Gladis, one of fewer than 50 critically endangered Iberian orcas. Scientists believe she was pregnant when she began her vendettaA prolonged angry falling out or campaign against someone. and has trained her offspring to attack sailing boats.

And last month, a whale rammed a fishing boat off Shetland, 3,200km from Gibraltar. Expert Conor Ryan says it is "possible" that this "fad" is spreading through populations across Europe. Killer whales are highly social, with "grandmothers" playing a key role in passing on learned behaviour.

White Gladis conjures up images of the albino sperm whale who wrecks ships in Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick. But this is not just a solitaryLonesome; alone. sea monster. So is it more like George Orwell's Animal Farm, where beasts take revenge on humanity?

"It's a game," says orca specialist Renaud de Stephanis, "nothing less, nothing more". A three-tonne juvenilePenguins lose their chick feathers and head out to sea to feed before returning to breed as mature adults. playing with a yacht feels aggressive to those onboard. But "if they wanted to wreck the boat," he argues, "they would break it in 10 minutes".

Play is important for social bonding and learning skills. The killer whale is the world's most cosmopolitanHaving a worldwide outlook and taking an interest in many different cultures or ideas. creature - meaning it inhabits almost every sea and ocean. But individual pods develop their own vocalisationsA sound produced by the voice., hunting techniques and even fashion statements. For one summer in 1987, wearing a dead salmon as a hat was all the rage in the northeast Pacific.

But ramming boats is a riskier hobby than fishy headgear. The orcas may injure themselves and it is unclear what they gain from the encounter. Researcher Alfredo Lopez Fernandez suggests White Gladis may have been "traumatised" in an interaction with a boat. This "triggering event" led her to treat them as a threat.

But do animals seek revenge? The 2013 documentary Blackfish exposed the poor treatment of Tilikum, a captiveSomeone or something who is kept in a certain space by a person or group. killer whale who killed three people. But in the wild, animals mostly avoid humans. And holding costly life-long feuds is a peculiarly human obsession.

However, research shows animal attacks are increasing as human habitationThe fact of living in a particular place. expands.¹ Meanwhile, an estimated one million species are on the brink of extinction.² Hanne Strager says we will never know why the orcas are hitting boats. We can't ask them. But the fact it feels like revenge may say something about our sense of responsibility towards the natural world.

Yes: We should be very afraid. For too long, we have mistreated our fellow creatures and taken the natural world for granted. The more harm we cause, the more we should expect animals to fight back.

No: Using the language of revenge and war is dangerous and harmful. It will be used to justify attacks on orcas and make conflict more likely. Other animals do not share our sense of right and wrong.

Or... This is not animal revenge but it is human guilt. People are ultimately responsible for these encounters and we should do everything we can to lessen our impact on wildlife and the natural world.