Would a whale deliberately destroy a yacht?
A 40-tonne whale launched itself onto a yacht off Cape Town. Was it an act of aggression or just a badly timed leap?Ralph Motes and Paloma Werner were out for a nice sailing trip off Cape Town in their 33ft yacht when they got more than they bargained for. While these middle-aged South African sailors were minding their own business, a 40-tonne whale leapt out of the water and on to their boat. Or was it that simple? Other reports claim that boats in the area had been harassing the animal by going closer than the 300-metre exclusion zone required by marine authorities.Shades of Moby-Dick indeed. Nor was the story of Captain Ahab's ship being stove and sunk by a sperm whale fictional. There are plenty of documented cases of irate whales (who wouldn't be, with humans sticking harpoons in you?) turning on their tormentors.This whale, however, was a...
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