西班牙官方调查发现，伊比利亚虎鲸群族中年长的母鲸托尼身上出现疑似被鹰眼枪射伤的伤口，背鳍内还残留着射弹[1]。这一发现引发了对濒危虎鲸种群遭人类报复性伤害的担忧[1]。伤口在托尼从葡萄牙法罗近海活动后被发现[1]，留在体内的射弹存在感染风险[1]。
伊比利亚虎鲸种群的处境极为脆弱，目前仅剩30至40只个体[1]，已承受食物短缺和污染等多重压力[1]。IOG联合创始人Janek Andre表示："这不仅是对单个动物的极端残忍行为，也是对濒危种群最后成员之一的攻击"[1]。此前在2023年曾出现视频显示有人向虎鲸投掷爆竹[1]，说明该物种面临的人类威胁持续存在。
Spanish authorities have discovered that Toñi, an elderly female orca leading an endangered Iberian population, bears what appear to be gunshot wounds, with bullet fragments lodged in her dorsal fin.[1] The injuries, consistent with a shotgun blast, were identified after the whale was observed near the coast of Faro, Portugal.[1] Some of the projectiles remain embedded in her fin, creating a risk of infection.[1]
Scientists and marine researchers are alarmed by the discovery, interpreting it as a sign of retaliatory violence against an already vulnerable species.[1] The Iberian orca population numbers only between 30 to 40 individuals,[1] a group already struggling under the weight of food scarcity and pollution.[1] Janek Andre, co-founder of the Iberian Orca Group, characterized the incident as "not only an act of extreme cruelty to an individual animal, but an attack on one of the last members of an endangered population."[1] The discovery adds to a pattern of concerning incidents; in 2023, video footage emerged showing individuals throwing firecrackers at whales.[1]