Iberian orca known for ramming boats seen with suspected gunshot wounds

Marine conservationist says deliberate attack would be ‘act of extreme cruelty’ against endangered population Spanish officials have launched an investigation after the matriarch of an orca pod known for jostling and ramming boats off the Iberian Peninsula was spotted with wounds suggesting she had been shot by a pellet gun. On Friday, Spain’s environment ministry said Toñi, the oldest living member of the pod, had been seen swimming in the Strait of Gibraltar with markings on her dorsal fin that were “consistent with shots from a pellet gun”. A source from the ministry told El País 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. The orcas of the Iberian Peninsula burst into headlines in 2020 after sailors shared stories of rudders that had been rammed and boats that had been spun 180 degrees or tipped sideways.

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