orca rams yacht off shetland

Orca rams boat off Scottish coast, 2,000 miles away from original attacks

The behavior may be "leapfrogging" between orca populations, and it could be in response to human activities such as fishing.

An orca has attacked a yacht off the coast of Scotland, U.K. — the first time this behavior has been recorded beyond Portuguese and Spanish waters. One expert believes it's a sign the boat-ramming behavior may have "leapfrogged" to a different orca population.

The orca ( Orcinus orca ) in Scotland repeatedly slammed into the boat's stern, where Wim Rutten, who was the only person on the boat, had attached a fishing line to catch mackerel.

Rutten said the orca seemed to be "looking for the keel," which is the part of the boat that orcas in Iberian waters have also targeted with ruthless efficiency . "Maybe he just wanted to play," Rutten told The Guardian . "Or look me in the eyes. Or to get rid of the fishing line."

Iberian orcas, a small and endangered population of about 39 animals, have sunk three boats in the last 18 months and damaged over 100 more by ramming into boats and ripping off their rudders. Some experts think an adult female named White Gladis may have survived a traumatic event — such as a boat collision or entrapment in a fishing net — that flipped a behavioral switch and triggered the first attacks.

Scientists have identified 13 orcas — 11 juveniles, White Gladis and another adult called Grey Gladis — that participate in these encounters and, in some cases, follow the boats all the way to port after breaking their rudders.

Related: Mystery orcas with bulbous heads wash up dead in unexplained mass stranding

The behavior appears to be spreading through social learning, with orcas imitating each other and reproducing acts they deem advantageous or interesting in some way, Alfredo López Fernandez , a biologist and representative of the Grupo de Trabajo Orca Atlántica, or Atlantic Orca Working Group (GTOA), previously told Live Science.

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The latest incident, which occurred on Monday (June 19) off the Shetland Islands in the North Sea, may suggest orcas in the area have acquired the skill from their southern European neighbors.

"It's possible that this 'fad' is leapfrogging through the various pods/communities," Conor Ryan , a scientific adviser to the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, told The Guardian. (A fad is a behavior initiated by one or two individuals, which others adopt through social learning and then abandon.)

Although 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) separate orcas in the North Sea from the Iberian population, there might be "highly mobile pods that could transmit this behavior a long distance," Ryan said.

Experts with the GTOA suspect the attacks are linked to human activities at sea. Fishing, noise pollution and boat traffic, "even in an indirect way, are the origin of this behavior," López Fernandez told The Guardian.

The traumatic experience that may have sparked attacks off the Iberian coast was "perhaps related to a fishing boat while hunting tuna,'' Mónica González, a marine biologist working with the GTOA, told Yachting Monthly . 

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Every year, Atlantic bluefin tuna ( Thunnus thynnus ) pass through the Strait of Gibraltar on their migration path from spawning sites in the Mediterranean Sea to feeding grounds in the eastern Atlantic, according to a report by the European Parliament.

Encounters with orcas could be linked to these migrations, González said.

Bluefin tuna were overfished from the 1980s until 2010, but stocks have now recovered, according to the report. Nevertheless, experts think orcas may perceive boats as a threat to their food supply and survival.

"We think that the other orcas are juveniles and are copying [White Gladis'] behavior because she is an adult and they think that as an adult 'we need to do this to survive,'" González said.

Sascha is a U.K.-based trainee staff writer at Live Science. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Southampton in England and a master’s degree in science communication from Imperial College London. Her work has appeared in The Guardian and the health website Zoe. Besides writing, she enjoys playing tennis, bread-making and browsing second-hand shops for hidden gems.

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Orca ‘rams yacht’ off Shetland as close encounters spread to North Sea

• Heather Prentice
• June 21, 2023

An orca has repeatedly rammed a yacht off the coast of Shetland in the North Sea in a dramatic development that sees orca attacks on yachts for the first time outside the Iberian peninsula, where orca attacks have been reasonably common...

Orca off Shetland, where the most recent incident took place. Photo: Getty / David O'Brien

Dr Wim Rutten, a 72-year-old retired Dutch physicist was sailing alone from Lerwick to Bergen when an orca appeared and hit the back of the aluminium hulled, seven tonne boat, the Guardian reported. At the time Dr Rutten was fishing for mackerel and had a line out of the back of the boat.

Dr Rutten told the Guardian that the orca hit again and again creating ‘soft shocks’ through the aluminium hull. The orca stayed behind the boat, he said, ‘looking for the keel. Then he disappeared … but came back at a fast speed, twice or three times … and circled a bit’

Scientists have said that juvenile orcas ‘attacking’ yachts off the Iberian coast could be imitating the behaviour of one individual adult orca named White Gladis . Orcas have now sunk three yachts off the Iberian coast in the past 18 months and close encounters have been reported with over 100 other yachts in increasingly aggressive behaviour.

‘Our theory is that this orca, White Gladis, had an “adverse moment”, perhaps related to a fishing boat while hunting tuna. We think that this orca had an incident and that she is trying to stop all boats,’ biologist Monica Gonzalez told Yachting Monthly .

‘We think that the other orcas are juveniles and are copying her behaviour because she is an adult. They think that (this is adult behaviour) and “we need to do this to survive”’, said Gonzalez, who works with CEMMA, the Spanish NGO group that coordinates the study of marine mammals and is part of the working group of the Groupo Trabajo Orca Atlantica (GTOA).

Article continues below…

Juvenile orcas imitate White Gladis, attacking yachts off the Iberian peninsula

Juvenile orcas attacking sailing yachts could be imitating the behaviour of one individual adult orca named White Gladis, scientists believe.…

Encounters with orcas & how to protect your boat

Andy Pag explores why orcas have been damaging yachts off Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar, and how to protect your boat

The group of orcas involved in the encounters around the Iberian peninsula appears to number 13 juveniles and two adults – the other named Grey Gladis – out of a larger group of 39. ‘Gladis is not training the juveniles,’ said Gonzalez, and is not necessarily present at every attack.

Often the orca prefer to swim in smaller groups of up to 6. The orca interactions with boats appears to be linked to the migration of tuna exiting the Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar and heading west and north around the Iberian Peninsula into the Bay of Biscay.

‘The behaviour of orcas varies wildly: sometimes it is a single orca that approaches or sometimes they come in a group and sometimes it appears that adults are standing off and directing juveniles,’ said John Burbeck, orca project leader at the Cruising Association.

‘Sometimes the orcas also come at the yacht with a violent blow and cause significant damage immediately or sometimes a group of orcas come in and play with the boat for an extended period of up to 90 minutes.’

Although most encounters between orcas and yachts are harmless, scientists are struggling to explain the orcas’ increasingly aggressive behaviour. Orcas are intelligent, social creatures that can easily learn and reproduce behavioural patterns.

Data from the Cruising Association, which works alongside Spanish and Portuguese scientists at the GTOA, shows that the number of orca incidents has increased in the last few months. ‘In the first three months of this year, there has been a dramatic increase (16 incidents as opposed to 2 last year),’ said Burbeck. ‘In May, with 10 incidents reported, it has already exceeded the total for last year and it doesn’t look like it is going to let up. May has been very, very busy.’

In 2022, there were 132 interactions with orca, with 99 yachts damaged and two sinking, data from the CA showed. There were also 256 uneventful passages. Around 25% of the damaged yachts needed to be towed to port.

The latest yacht to be fatally struck was on the night of May 4 off the coast of Barbate, Cadiz, when three orcas left the yacht Alboran Champagne without a rudder and taking on water, causing the four crew to abandon ship. The Spanish coastguard towed the yacht but it sank before reaching port.

‘Our first advice is to avoid the orcas,’ said John Burbeck. ‘To avoid interactions, stay less than two miles off shore and navigate in less than 20 metres of water.’

The GTOA operates a traffic light information system on orca sightings on its website . There are also two apps: GT Orca and Orcinus which give information. A Facebook page Orca Attack Reports gives information as does Orca Discussions on Telegram.

The CA this month launched an updated orca information portal and is urging all sailors to report interactions and safe passages via the portal.

Orca Rams Into Yacht Near Scotland, Suggesting the Behavior May Be Spreading

The incident occurred roughly 2,000 miles away from the recent encounters near Spain and Portugal

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Orcas have been ramming into ships off the coasts of Spain and Portugal and making headlines worldwide, but until now, the behavior appeared contained to that one population. Last week, however, one of these black-and-white mammals slammed into a yacht between Scotland and Norway, some 2,000 miles away from the Iberian orcas.

Though scientists don’t quite know what to make of the recent incident, they say it might mean the behavior is spreading. This is believed to be the first known orca-boat encounter in northern waters, as Philip Hoare and Jeroen Hoekendijk report for the Guardian .

On June 19, Dutch sailor Wim Rutten spotted an orca in the waters of the North Sea while traveling east from the Shetland Islands of Scotland. Rutten, 72, was using a single line off the back of the boat to fish for mackerel, when seemingly out of nowhere, the orca rammed into the stern of his seven-ton, aluminum hull yacht.

The creature then proceeded to hit the vessel multiple times. It swam behind the boat and appeared to be searching for the keel, or the main structural support that runs along the bottom of a boat’s hull from front to back. The orca got so close that Rutten could hear its “very loud breathing,” he tells the Guardian .

“Maybe he just wanted to play,” he adds to the publication. “Or look me in the eyes. Or to get rid of the fishing line.”

Though the incident shook him up a bit, Rutten made it home safely.

Scientists are intrigued that this behavior occurred so far away from the Iberian orcas. One possible explanation is that the North Sea orca was a juvenile that simply got curious about the fishing line coming off the back of Rutten’s boat. However, the behavior could have spread from the Spain and Portugal  subpopulation , perhaps transmitted by very mobile orcas.

“It’s possible that this ‘fad’ is leapfrogging through the various pods/communities,” says Conor Ryan , an independent researcher who advises the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, to the Guardian .

Meanwhile, off the Iberian coast, the boat-ramming behavior is still going strong: Last week, a pod of orcas slammed into a yacht as it got near the Strait of Gibraltar during the Ocean Race , an around-the-world sailing competition. The group on the yacht took down its sails and slowed their vessel as much as possible, and the orcas stopped bashing the ship soon after.

In a statement , Jelmer van Beek, the team’s skipper, described the incident as a “scary moment.”

“[It was] impressive to see the orcas, first of all, beautiful animals, but also a dangerous moment for us in the team,” he says in a video by the Ocean Race. (Warning: The video contains profanity.)

In the case of the orcas off the coasts of Portugal and Spain, scientists suspect that a female named “White Gladis” may be at least partially responsible for the recent interactions: They worry she had a traumatic run-in with a boat that gave rise to the new behavior, which other orcas are now learning via observation.

Since the summer of 2020, scientists have recorded more than 500 incidents involving contact between the Iberian orcas and boats, including three that resulted in the vessels sinking, per Live Science ’s Sacha Pare. About 20 percent of the encounters damaged the boats so badly they could not continue sailing. And in one recent incident, a group of orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar followed a boat all the way into port, even after they’d destroyed its rudder.

ORCA ATTACK: A killer whale is filmed ripping the rudder blade off of a boat sailing off the coast of Gibraltar, the latest in a series of incidents that have seen the predators targeting ocean vessels. https://t.co/VGYQ1StKnF pic.twitter.com/V5tyZgwWWb — ABC News (@ABC) June 14, 2023

In Spain, authorities are now tagging and tracking six of the Iberian orcas that have been involved in the incidents. Next, they want to share the animals’ locations with sailors in hopes of avoiding future interactions.

However, not everyone supports this plan. Alfredo López Fernandez , a biologist at the University of Aveiro and a member of the Atlantic Orca Working Group, has been studying the interactions and believes shooting satellite tags at the whales will only aggravate the creatures further.

“The orcas will surely not find it very funny,” he tells RTVE ’s Samuel A. Pilar.

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Sarah Kuta | READ MORE

Sarah Kuta is a writer and editor based in Longmont, Colorado. She covers history, science, travel, food and beverage, sustainability, economics and other topics.

Orca Rams Into Yacht Near Scotland As Boat-Bashing Behavior Seems To Spread North

Deputy Editor, Trends, HuffPost

A man sailing a yacht in the North Sea near Scotland’s Shetland Islands said that an orca repeatedly rammed into his boat earlier this week, exhibiting behavior that’s been recently seen in killer whales farther south.

Retired Dutch physicist Dr. Wim Rutten was alone on a 7-ton yacht on Monday when an orca smacked into the boat’s stern, then circled back to hit it again and again “at fast speed,” he told The Guardian .

The published Guardian interview did not mention any permanent damage to the vessel, just “soft shocks” felt through the hull.

“Maybe he just wanted to play,” Rutten, who was mackerel fishing when the orca showed up, speculated. “Or look me in the eyes. Or to get rid of the fishing line.”

His account bore a striking similarity to dozens of incidents reported this year in waters near Portugal and Spain. Last month, orcas broke the rudder and pierced the hull of a sailing boat near the coast of southern Spain, necessitating a rescue team to tow the vessel to a port. Three weeks prior, also off the Spanish coast, an orca trio rammed into and ultimately sank a yacht . No human deaths have occurred in any of the reported incidents.

Dr. Alfredo López Fernandez, a biologist who authored a paper published last year on the phenomenon, believes the incidents originated with a female orca known to scientists as White Gladis. The theory goes that White Gladis had a traumatic encounter involving a boat and started to behave defensively against other boats, and her fellow orcas picked up the behavior.

Not all scientists agree that’s what likely happened, though.

“What I think is probably happening is it’s a playful behavior. It’s a social behavior,” Dr. Deborah Giles, science director at research and advocacy group Wild Orca, told Vice News .

Giles suspects a young orca started playfully ramming boats, and others followed suit.

Aside from the behavior’s origin, another question is whether it’s now spreading to northern waters or is arising there independently.

Orca researcher Dr. Conor Ryan told The Guardian that it’s plausible that “highly mobile” orca pods are spreading the behavior northward.

“It’s possible that this ‘fad’ is leapfrogging through the various pods/communities,” he said.

The incidents have inspired a huge amount of largely supportive jokes and memes about an orca uprising. But Monica Bacchus, marine programs coordinator at National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Killer Whale Research and Conservation Program, told Vice that she doesn’t think what’s happening is an actual cetacean revolution. But she does find the phenomenon intriguing.

She said, “It’s always cool to see animals do new things.”

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Orca attacks on boats appear to be 'leapfrogging' across oceans as a yacht is rammed by killer whale north of Scotland

• An orca repeatedly rammed a yacht in the Shetland Islands, a sailor told the Guardian. 
• The attack follows a series of orca incidents around the Iberian peninsula.
• The "fad" may be "leapfrogging through the various pods and communities," an expert said. 

An orca attacked a yacht off the Shetland Islands coast in the North Sea earlier this week, as the aggressive incidents involving killer whales show signs that it could be spreading across the oceans.

Previous orca attacks on boats occurred 3,000 miles away, off the coasts of Portugal and Spain.

Dr. Wim Rutten was sailing from Lerwick, Shetland, an island 400 miles off the north coast of Scotland, to Bergen, Norway, on Monday when an orca suddenly appeared and rammed the stern of his seven-ton yacht, The Guardian reported . 

Rutten told The Guardian that the orca repeatedly hit the ship, sending "soft shocks" through the hull. It is the first known orca attack on a boat in the North Sea. 

The 72-year-old Dutch physicist, an experienced sailor, said he had heard about orca incidents around Portugal, adding that he found the loud breathing of the orca the "most frightening." 

He said the animal kept behind the boat, disappeared, but then "came back at fast speed, twice or thrice, and circled a bit."

"Maybe he just wanted to play. Or look me in the eyes. Or to get rid of the fishing line," he added. 

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It seems the trend has now spread further, with one expert studying orca pods off the Scottish coast telling The Guardian that it was feasible that North Sea orcas were learning from southern orca populations.

"It's possible that this 'fad' is leapfrogging through the various pods/communities," Dr. Conor Ryan, a scientific adviser to the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, told The Guardian. 

Similar behavior has been regularly seen in killer whales off the coast of the Iberian peninsula, and experts say orca interactions with vessels have been increasing since 2020, Insider previously reported . 

While many boat interactions with orcas in the area have been harmless, killer whales have increasingly rammed and even sank  boats . 

The exact reason behind the behavior remains unclear, but some experts believe that a traumatized female orca called White Gladis may be behind the trend, with other killer whales learning and imitating the aggressive behavior from her.

The marine animals are "so highly intelligent" they can learn from each other very quickly, John Hargrove, a former SeaWorld orca trainer, also said recently  while predicting that the attacks would continue escalating.

The rising number of incidents has left researchers concerned for sailors' safety and the dwindling orca population around the Iberian peninsula .

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Orca repeatedly rams boat off Shetland coast

Incident comes after killer whales damaged vessels off the coast of spain and portugal.

22 June, 2023

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Killer whale rams yacht off Shetland amid increasing reports of boat attacks

'what i felt [was] most frightening was the very loud breathing of the animal,' said dr wim rutten after the incident on monday.

An orca whale rammed into a yacht off the coast of Scotland on Monday in what could be the latest sign of boat attacks spreading through the population .

Dr Wim Rutten, 72, told The Guardian how he was fishing for mackerel off the back of his boat in the North Sea off Shetland when the killer whale, also known as an orca , suddenly appeared.

He said the whale repeatedly hit the stern of the boat sending “soft shocks” through the hull.

“What I felt [was] most frightening was the very loud breathing of the animal,” Dr Rutten said.

“The orca stayed behind the boat looking for the keel. Then he disappeared … but came back at fast speed, twice or thrice … and circled a bit.

“Maybe he just wanted to play. Or look me in the eyes. Or to get rid of the fishing line.”

The incident comes after a series of orca attacks which sunk three boats off the Iberian peninsula last month.

How many killer whales are left in the world

A pod of killer whales struck a yacht in the Strait of Gibraltar, near Spain, on 4 May piercing the rudder.

Skipper Werner Schaufelberger told German publication Yacht : “There were two smaller and one larger orca.

“The little ones shook the rudder at the back while the big one repeatedly backed up and rammed the ship with full force from the side.”

The crew were rescued by the Spanish coast guard but the boat sank as it was being towed into port.

Scientists say aggressive encounters with orcas have been increasing in the Iberian peninsula since 2020.

One theory is that the incidents were being led by a female orca known as “Gladis” who may have been traumatised by an incident such as becoming trapped in a fishing net or being hit by a boat.

Orcas are highly intelligent and able to copy behaviour which might explain their wide range of hunting styles.

British researchers have previously established that female orcas take a leadership role in pods after the menopause.

However, scientists have been left surprised that the boat-ramming behaviour has reappeared in Scotland, thousands of miles from the Strait of Gibraltar.

Dr Conor Ryan, from the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, said he wouldn’t rule out that the attacks hadn’t managed to “leapfrog” through different orca pods to northern waters.

However, he said man-made issues such as increased marine traffic, warming seas and declining food sources was more likely.

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Orca rams into yacht off Shetland in first such incident in northern waters

Cetacean exhibits same behaviour towards vessel in North Sea that has been seen in Iberian orca population

An orca repeatedly rammed a yacht in the North Sea off Shetland on Monday, in a concerning development following previous interactions between the cetaceans and vessels in the strait of Gibraltar and Portugal.

Dr Wim Rutten, a 72-year-old retired Dutch physicist and experienced yachtsperson, was sailing solo from Lerwick to Bergen in Norway. He was fishing for mackerel, with a single line off the back of the boat, when the orca suddenly appeared in the clear water, and hit the stern of the seven-ton boat.

“I said: ‘Shit!’” Rutten, who said he had heard about the “Portuguese accidents”, told the Guardian. The whale hit again and again, creating “soft shocks” through the aluminium hull.

“What I felt [was] most frightening was the very loud breathing of the animal,” he said. The orca stayed behind the boat “looking for the keel. Then he disappeared ... but came back at fast speed, twice or thrice ... and circled a bit.

“Maybe he just wanted to play. Or look me in the eyes. Or to get rid of the fishing line.”

This is the same behaviour that has been seen in the Iberian orca population, but it is the first time it has been known to happen in northern waters.

Highly social cetaceans, orcas (also known as killer whales) use complex vocalisations to communicate and to hunt for food, from small fish to blue whales. They learn matrilineally, and post-menopausal females assume the greatest importance in individual pods. “Grandmothers” in the Iberian population have been seen observing during the interactions with yachts and other vessels.

Experts believe this could be play among juvenile orcas. Dr Alfredo López, of the Grupo de Trabajo Orca Atlántica in Portugal, said: “We know that many boats use fishing lines from the stern to fish and it is a motivation for orcas, they come to examine them.” But the focus on boats’ rudders may come from adult whales who have developed an aversion towards boats, perhaps because they “had a bad experience and try to stop the boat so as not to repeat it”.

Most surprising is the fact that this learned behaviour should have appeared nearly 2,000 miles (3,200km) from Gibraltar. Dr Conor Ryan, a scientific adviser to the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust , who has studied orca pods off the Scottish coast, said: “I’d be reluctant to say it cannot be learned from [the southern population]. It’s possible that this ‘fad’ is leapfrogging through the various pods/communities.”

Ryan suggests there may be “highly mobile pods that could transmit this behaviour a long distance”. López thinks, however, “that human activities, even in an indirect way, are at the origin of this behaviour”. Increased marine traffic, dwindling food sources, warming seas and noise pollution could all play a part.

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Rutten added: “Maybe the universe knows. We do not.”

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Yacht sinks after latest incident involving orcas in strait of Gibraltar

Orcas are attacking boats. But to say they’re ‘fighting back’ is all too human

The orca uprising: whales are ramming boats – but are they inspired by revenge, grief or memory?

Orcas accused of attacking boats may be ‘following fad’, scientists say

Orcas ‘attacked’ my boat too. What does this say about the sea?

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Orca reportedly rams into yacht off coast of Shetland

An orca has reportedly rammed into a yacht which was sailing from Lerwick to Bergen, The Guardian has reported.

It is believed to be the first such instance of an orca attacking a boat in the North Sea.

Dr Wim Rutter, from the Netherlands, was said to have been sailing solo on Monday when the orca hit the stern of the boat while he was fishing for mackerel.

There have been recent reports of orcas attacking boats in the Strait of Gibraltar and near to Portugal.

The annual Bergen-Shetland race got under way today, with 43 yachts expected to sail into Lerwick – with some arriving tomorrow (Thursday).

They are then due to sail back to Bergen on Sunday.

Organisers of the event have been approached for comment.

• Bergen-Shetland yacht race

COMMENTS (2)

John Lancaster-Smith

• June 21st, 2023 19:28

We sailed from Baltasound to Florø on Monday evening. Approximately 19nm out we altered course and passed about 1500m astern of a pelagic trawler, at their request. As we were passing through their wake we noticed a pod of orcas (approximately 9-10) heading straight for us. At their closest they were approximately 5 meters from our quarter. They made no attempt to interfere with our boat and quickly resumed their previous activities.

Adrian Jardin

• June 23rd, 2023 9:27

Wow, what a fantastic trip and sighting. I see sunset at your destination is around 11:30 pm atm, so quite a long “evening” available for sailing. I’d love to do such a trip.

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Orca 'rams into man's boat' off British coast for first time in UK

A 72-year old Dutch retired physicist saw his vessel's stern rammed near the Shetland Islands as he fished for mackerel en route to Bergen, Norway

• 02:38, 22 Jun 2023
• Updated 18:16, 22 Jun 2023

An orca has rammed into a fisherman's boat in Shetland in what is believed to be the first killer whale attack in UK waters.

Dutchman Dr Wim Rutten, a 72-year old retired physicist, was sailing from Lerwick to Bergen, Norway when the incident occurred.

The experienced yachtsman was fishing for mackerel when the whale began to ram into his boat's stern.

"What I felt [was] most frightening was the very loud breathing of the animal," he explained, adding that he was particularly concerned after hearing of "Portuguese accidents".

Describing his ordeal, the doctor said he first spotted the orca behind his vessel, before it "disappeared but came back at fast speed, twice or thrice and circled a bit."

He told the Guardian that he was unsure whether the mammal wanted "to play, or look me in the eyes, or to get rid of the fishing line."

It follows reports of two similar incidents in Gibraltar earlier this month.

Experts believe the recent spate of attacks that have seen the whales ram and sink boats in the Iberian Peninsula could be down to the creatures seeking to avenge their matriarch after she was struck by fishermen.

In fact, hundreds of coordinated attacks on boats have been reported since 2020.

Earlier this month an orca destroyed the rudder of a yacht leaving its crew adrift off the coast of Gibraltar. Captain of the 48-foot catamaran, Daniel Kriz, said he noticed the "unusual motion of the boat" before spotting a pod of four or five orcas.

And elsewhere in June, Captain Iain Hamilton was marooned in a harbour near Gibraltar after a pod of five whales wrecked both of his boat's rudders in what he described as a "choregraphed" assault that left the vessel "very vulnerable and in a very dangerous situation".

Scientists say the two incidents are likely to be related to a "critical moment of agony" suffered by group leader White Gladis, who either collided with a boat or became entangled with a fishing line.

Marine biologist Alfredo Lopez Fernandez believes the trauma may have caused the whale to become more aggressive, and resulted in others mimicking her behaviour.

He told livescience.com : "That traumatized orca is the one that started this behaviour of physical contact with the boat.

"We do not interpret that the orcas are teaching the young, although the behaviour has spread to the young vertically, simply by imitation, and later horizontally among them, because they consider it something important in their lives."

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• 6.3 Other stores

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Mäntsälä is a municipality of 21,000 people (2022) in Uusimaa . Mäntsälä is known for its mansions, and sits at the crossroads of many important highways.

Mäntsälä is located about 60 km northeast of Helsinki near the regional border of Päijänne Tavastia . The Mäntsälänjoki River flows through the church village, which joins the Mustijoki River further south, which runs all the way to the Gulf of Finland. Historically, the area has become famous for giving its name to the "Mäntsälä rebellion" ( Mäntsälän kapina in Finnish), a failed coup attempt by the far-right Lapua Movement to overthrow the Finnish government in 1932.

Mäntsälä is at an ideal location in terms of traffic, as many important highways pass through the municipality. The most important road connection is definitely Highway 4 (E75) between Helsinki and Lahti . Others main routes are western Highway 25 from Hyvinkää and eastern Highway 55 from Porvoo .

The platform tracks of the 60.64709 25.30697 1 Mäntsälä railway station , where the Z train between Helsinki and Lahti stops, are located on the left and right sides, and passing trains run from the middle two tracks. Track 1 runs to Helsinki and track 4 to Lahti.

For timetables of coaches, see Matkahuolto .

• Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi

In the centre of Mäntsälä, services are located within walking distance, but to other parts of the municipality, it is generally better to move by car.

• 60.63234 25.32558 1 Mäntsälä Church ( Mäntsälän kirkko ), Vanha Porvoontie 8 . A red-brick church from 1866. ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.6081 25.25018 2 Blacksmith Hill Crafts Museum ( Sepänmäen museo ) ( next to the Hirvihaaran Kartano hotel ). A lively and functional outdoor museum that tells about life in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries in a fun and exciting way. ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.70936 25.22778 3 Sälinkää Manor ( Sälinkään kartano ), Kartanontie 20 ( in the Sälinkää village; on the shores of Lake Kilpijärvi ), ☏ +358 400-612-575 , [email protected] . Built at the end of the 19th century, the cosy but festive Sälinkää Manor is now a 130-seat reservation restaurant mostly used for family celebrations. The premises are also used for various meetings and trainings. ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.63503 25.31458 1 Cine Mänstälä , Meijerin aukio 2 , [email protected] . A cinema. ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.62896 25.21113 2 Hirvihaaran Golf , Vanha Soukkiontie 945 , ☏ +358 400-212-331 , [email protected] . ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.65532 25.2916 3 Mäntsälä Disc Golf Park ( Mäntsälän frisbeegolfpuisto ), Sälinkääntie 272 . ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.63081 25.31783 4 Mäntsälä Ice Rink ( Mäntsälän jäähalli ), Veteraanitie 4 . ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.59837 25.3792 5 Pellavaranta Beach , Sääksjärventie 310 ( on the shores of Lake Sääksjärvi ). ( updated Mar 2023 )

Supermarkets

• 60.6376 25.31682 1 K-Citymarket Mäntsälä , Sälinkääntie 2 . M–Sa 07:00–22:00, Su 10:00–22:00 . A hypermarket. ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.63588 25.32166 2 K-Market Säästökulma , Keskuskatu 11 . M–F 07:00–23:00, Sa 08:00–23:00, Su 09:00–23:00 . A supermarket. ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.63505 25.31698 3 S-Market Mäntsälä , Keskuskatu 1 . M–Sa 06:30–22:00, Su 09:00–22:00 . A supermarket. ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.62366 25.29274 4 Lidl Mäntsälä , Töyrynummentie 2 . M–Sa 08:00–21:00, Su 10:00–20:00 . A supermarket. ( updated Mar 2023 )

Discount and convenience stores

• 60.62296 25.28678 5 Tokmanni Mäntsälä , Maisalantie 9 . M–F 08:00–21:00, Su 08:00–19:00, Su 10:00–18:00 . A discount store. ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.63577 25.31947 6 R-kioski Mäntsälä , Keskuskatu 6 . M–F 06:00–20:00, Sa 07:00–20:00, Su 09:00–20:00 . A convenience store. ( updated Mar 2023 )

Other stores

• 60.64403 25.3245 7 Kirppis Wanha Nalle , Makasiinintie 2 . M–F 11:00–19:00, Sa Su 11:00–16:00 . A flea market. ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.63609 25.31767 1 Bamboo Palace , Keskuskatu 4 , ☏ +358 41-711-7076 . Tu–F 11:00–21:00, Sa Su 12:00–21:00 . A Chinese restaurant. ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.63427 25.3157 2 Elvis Pizza Burger , Yhdystie 1 , ☏ +358 19 688-0008 . M–Th 10:00–22:00, F 10:00–23:00, Sa 11:00–23:00, Su 11:00–22:00 . ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.63628 25.32001 3 Istanbul Pizza & Kebab , Keskuskatu 8 L 5 , ☏ +358 19 688-0018 . M–Th 10:30–22:00, F 10:30–23:00, Sa 11:00–23:00, Su 11:00–22:00 . ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.6751 25.35253 4 Juustoportti Mäntsälä , Pohjoinen Pikatie 8 ( along the road 140 near the Highway 4; north of the town centre ), ☏ +358 44-793-8050 , [email protected] . M–F 07:00–20:00, Sa Su 09:00–20:00 . A filling station with restaurant, serving a delicious buffet as well as cheese-based delicacies from the à la carte menu. ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.6363 25.31574 5 Kalash ( Ravintola Kalash ), Osuustie 1 , ☏ +358 45-234-7709 , +358 44-240-2182 , [email protected] . Tu–Th 10:30–21:00, F 10:30–21:30, Sa 12:00–21:30, Su 12:00–21:00 . A Nepalese restaurant. ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.63655 25.32283 6 Kotipizza Mäntsälä , Keskuskatu 12 , ☏ +358 19 687-4211 . M–F 10:30–21:00, Sa Su 11:00–21:00 . ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.63797 25.32315 7 Papaya Pok Pok , Kivistöntie 4 , ☏ +358 50-509-2102 . M–Th 10:30–18:00, F 10:30–19:00, Sa 12:00–19:00 . A Thai restaurant. ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.63568 25.32056 8 Phò ( Pho Minh Ravintola ), Keskuskatu 9 , ☏ +358 45-138-1603 . M–F 10:30–19:00, Sa Su 12:00–20:00 . A Vietnamese restaurant. ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.63582 25.31783 9 Pizza Time Mäntsälä , Keskuskatu 4 , ☏ +358 50-470-2030 . M–Th 10:30–21:00, F 10:30–23:00, Sa 11:00–23:00, Su 11:00–21:00 . ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.60455 25.25435 10 Neste K Tuuliruusu , Lahden moottoritie 1150 ( along the Highway 4 towards Helsinki ). 24 hr daily . A filling station with restaurant and grocery store. ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.63534 25.31909 1 Bar & Club Kapina ( Club Kapina ), Keskuskatu 5 , ☏ +358 44-972-5711 , [email protected] . Su–Th 15:00–00:00, F Sa 15:00–05:00 . A nightclub. ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.63583 25.31782 2 Pub Ulrika , Keskuskatu 4 , ☏ +358 50-476-5094 . Tu–Th 18:00–00:00, F Sa 18:00–02:00 . A karaoke bar. ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.63544 25.3172 3 Sauhu Bistro & Bar , Keskuskatu 2 , ☏ +358 40-711-0120 . M–Th 15:00–21:00, F 15:00–23:00, Sa 12:00–23:00, Su 15:00–21:00 . A bar restaurant. ( updated Mar 2023 )

• 60.60898 25.25074 1 Hirvihaaran Kartano , Kartanonlenkki 56 , ☏ +358 19 688-8255 , [email protected] . ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.63544 25.31473 2 Kartanon Meijeri , Meijerin aukio 1 , ☏ +358 19 688 8255 , [email protected] . ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.6335 25.3246 3 Ruustinnan Kammari , Vuotavantie 1 , ☏ +358 440-100-659 , [email protected] . ( updated Mar 2023 )
• 60.63577 25.32612 1 Mäntsälä Health Center ( Mäntsälän terveysasema ), Kivistöntie 14 . Municipal health centre.  

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