Spain refers shooting of 60-year-old orca matriarch Toñi to prosecutors

Spanish authorities have referred the shooting of Toñi, the oldest known orca in the Strait of Gibraltar and Gulf of Cadiz, to environmental prosecutors for a possible criminal offence against a protected species. The approximately 60-year-old female, also known as 'La Abuela' (The Grandmother'), was discovered with around 10 apparent pellet wounds on her dorsal fin after being sighted in August.

The Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (Miteco) began preliminary inquiries after receiving information about the injured animal from the conservation organisation WeWhale.

Brief written by urgent.news from Spain in English's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.