A source from the ministry told El Pa\u00eds<\/a> that some of the projectiles remained lodged in her fin, posing a risk of infection. The ministry was in touch with officials in Portugal, the source added, as the markings were detected after the orcas had travelled from the waters off the Portuguese city of Faro.<\/p>\n The orcas of the Iberian Peninsula burst into headlines<\/a> in 2020 after sailors shared stories of rudders that had been rammed and boats that had been spun 180 degrees or tipped sideways. Since then, a small group of orcas from the pod have been blamed for damaging scores of vessels and sinking at least four boats, leaving scientists scrambling to explain the baffling behaviour.<\/p>\n Scientists have long pushed back against the assertion that the orcas are attacking vessels, instead suggesting that the behaviour could be a form of play or a means of practising their hunting skills.<\/p>\n In the days since To\u00f1i\u2019s injuries came to light, the WeWhale and Iberian Orca Guardians (IOG) association have been closely tracking the animal for any sign of weakness. \u201cWe know To\u00f1i. We were with her a few weeks ago and these wounds were not there,\u201d the IOG co-founder Janek Andre said.<\/p>\n \u201cSeeing To\u00f1i, la abuela [the grandmother], like this is devastating,\u201d he added. \u201cIf someone has deliberately fired a shotgun at her, this is not only an act of extreme cruelty against an individual animal. It is an attack on one of the last remaining members of a critically endangered population.\u201d<\/p>\n Researchers have long sought to highlight the many stressors faced by this population of orcas as they navigate life in a major shipping route. Food scarcity, injuries and pollution have left the population on a knife\u2019s edge, reduced to between 30 and 40 individuals.<\/p>\n
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