Spain has opened a criminal investigation after Toñi — the oldest known member of the critically endangered Iberian orca population and a beloved figure among marine conservationists who have tracked her for decades — surfaced in the Strait of Gibraltar with approximately ten fresh wounds on her dorsal fin and back that experts say are consistent with a shotgun blast, raising the alarming possibility that someone deliberately fired on an endangered whale.
The wounds were discovered on August 11 by researchers from the WeWhale Association and Iberian Orca Guardians during routine field monitoring operations in the Strait. Photographs taken of Toñi just weeks earlier showed no injuries whatsoever, ruling out explanations related to natural aging or prior encounters. The Atlantic Orca Working Group's technical assessment concluded that the wound pattern is consistent with lead pellets of approximately 9 millimeters — similar to buckshot cartridges used for wild boar hunting — with at least two or three projectiles passing completely through the fin's tissue and others potentially lodged inside. Spain's Deputy Prime Minister Sara Aagesen announced the investigation on Bluesky, stating that the "oldest orca in the Strait of Gibraltar has appeared with marks compatible with pellets" and that any harm to the animal is a serious crime. Toñi has not been spotted since her discovery with the wounds, deepening concern among conservationists.
"If 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." — Janek Andre, WeWhale and Iberian Orca Guardians
The context surrounding the incident is well-documented. Since 2020, a subpopulation of Iberian orcas has been recorded ramming and disabling sailboats in the Strait of Gibraltar and along the Portuguese and Galician coasts — an unusual behavior that researchers believe spread socially through the pod after initially being exhibited by a small number of animals. More than 500 boat interactions have been recorded over six years, and at least five vessels have sunk as a result. The encounters have created genuine tension between the boating community and the orcas — and Spanish authorities have previously documented incidents in which frustrated boaters threw firecrackers and stones at the animals or poured oil into the water near them. Shooting one with a shotgun, if confirmed, would represent a dramatic escalation that carries severe criminal penalties under Spanish and European wildlife protection law.
The Iberian orca subpopulation numbers fewer than 40 individuals. Toñi, known to researchers as "La Abuela" — the grandmother — is believed to be approximately 60 years old, making her one of the oldest known orcas of any population in the world and an irreplaceable member of an already critically diminished gene pool. No suspect has been identified and no evidence has yet publicly established who fired the shots or where the incident occurred — the area between the Algarve coast of Portugal and the Strait of Gibraltar is under investigation as a possible location based on Toñi's recent movements.
The Iberian orca is classified as critically endangered by the IUCN. The population's unusual boat interaction behavior is believed to have originated with one or two animals in 2020 and spread through social learning within the pod — a pattern researchers say reflects the species' high intelligence and social cohesion. European Union wildlife protection regulations impose severe penalties for deliberate harm to cetaceans, with potential prison sentences and substantial fines. Spain's environment ministry has indicated it is examining all available photographic and positional data to determine where the incident occurred.
The frustration of boaters who have had their vessels rammed and disabled is real and deserves acknowledgment. The financial and emotional toll of those encounters is not trivial. But there is no version of the orca-boat conflict in which shooting a 60-year-old member of a critically endangered species with a shotgun is a proportionate or legal response — and whoever is responsible for what happened to Toñi needs to be identified and held accountable under Spanish law. A population of fewer than 40 animals cannot absorb violence. The investigation Spain has opened needs to produce results.