Spain investigates after 60-year-old orca matriarch Toñi found with 10 pellet wounds in Strait of Gibraltar

Discovery of the wounded matriarch

On Monday, August 10, a team of scientists sighted Toñi, the oldest known orca in the Iberian population, swimming with two companions, Pingu and Scarlet, in the Strait of Gibraltar, where she had not been seen for two years. Researchers immediately noticed marks on her dorsal fin consistent with pellet gun shots. After analysis, they confirmed she had been hit by 10 projectiles, some of which remain lodged in her fin, creating a risk of infection. Toñi, also known as La Abuela (The Grandmother), is approximately 60 years old and is a great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother within the group of orcas known as "gladis."

Ignacio Peinó González, a researcher who discovered the lesions while aboard a Turmares vessel, a company that conducts cetacean watching and scientific programs, expressed cautious optimism about her recovery.

“Siempre ha tenido un sistema inmunitario fuerte y ha estado muy bien, así que confiamos en que pueda salir de esta a pesar de su edad.”

Investigation and possible Portuguese origin

Spain's Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (Miteco) learned of the situation on Tuesday, August 11, through information provided by the conservation group We Whale, which operates in the area with administrative authorization from the Ministry. The following day, August 12, Miteco opened preliminary investigative proceedings, which could lead to a sanctioning file if the facts and those responsible are identified. The Directorate General of Biodiversity, Forests and Desertification is handling the case.

Spanish authorities have contacted Portuguese authorities, as initial information suggests the shots may have been fired from Portuguese territory, though this has not yet been confirmed. When the three orcas were previously sighted in Faro, on the Portuguese coast, Toñi showed no injuries. They had traveled from Galicia along the Portuguese coast before arriving at the Strait of Gibraltar, leading researchers to consider that the shooting occurred somewhere between Faro and the Strait.

Protected status and penalties

The Iberian orca population of the Strait of Gibraltar and the Gulf of Cádiz is classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and as vulnerable in the Spanish Catalogue of Endangered Species. Article 57 of Spain's Law 42/2007 on Natural Heritage and Biodiversity prohibits any action intended to kill, capture, pursue, or harass these animals. Violations can result in fines of up to 2 million euros and criminal liability.

Sara Aagesen, who leads the Miteco department as vice president, posted on the Bluesky social network about the case.

“La orca más longeva del Estrecho de Gibraltar ha aparecido esta semana con marcas compatibles con disparos de perdigones. Es una especie vulnerable y cualquier daño contra ella es un delito grave.”

The gladis phenomenon

The "gladis" orcas have been interacting with vessels in Atlantic waters off the Iberian Peninsula since the summer of 2020, according to La Razón and Europa Press, while El País and Diário de Notícias place the start of these encounters in May 2022. The orcas approach sailboats and interact with hulls and rudders, which has caused some vessels to sink. Experts consider the behavior more playful than malicious. Toñi herself joined these interactions about a year ago, according to El País, though scientists do not know why she began then. This behavior has created conflict between humans and orcas, adding to existing tensions with fishermen over competition for tuna.