Sarah Connor: Singer sets up foundation for orca whales

Sarah Connor (44) has been passionately committed to orca whales for years. Now the singer has announced the creation of a new foundation to protect the “critically endangered Iberian orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar,” as it says in a statement. The animal protection project is called Iberian Orca Guardians Foundation. Connor founded it together with Janek Andre, founder of the organization WeWhale.

“The Iberian orcas are the only ones we have in Europe, there are only about 35 of them left and they are critically endangered, it is time for action!”, Connor is quoted in the press release. Specifically, it concerns those marine mammals “that live in the Strait of Gibraltar between April and September”. The sea route is the busiest sea area in the world. The animals living there are correspondingly stressed.

In recent years, the media has repeatedly falsely reported that orca whales had “attacked” boats in the Strait of Gibraltar and along the coasts of Spain, Morocco and Portugal. The highly intelligent animals approach the ships purely out of curiosity and playfully nudge the boats’ oars.

The Iberian Orca Guardians are therefore traveling in a small motorboat in the Strait of Gibraltar, patrolling, clarifying and trying to resolve conflicts. The aim is to “promote peaceful coexistence between humans and orcas”.

“Our mission is to educate people about the reality of these encounters and to support seafarers in areas frequented by orcas to avoid conflict,” explain foundation founders Connor and Andre.

Starting next year, the Iberian Orca Guardians’ patrols will be “regularly present in areas such as Barbate, Tarifa and Tangier to actively protect the orcas and ensure sustainable coexistence.”

Connor also shared a moving, detailed video post about the founding of the foundation on her Instagram profile, in which the work on the strait is shown and her colleague Janek Andre is introduced.