What seemed like harmless fun has quickly turned sour as a bottlenose dolphin in Dorset, England, has been seen jumping on swimmers and pushing them underwater.
The lone dolphin, known as Reggie, first shot to fame when a family shared footage of it playing in the water with them. But this seemingly friendly behaviour quickly changed and is worrying experts.
“What seems like a friendly bond is actually habituation – the dolphin changing their behaviour to fit a human presence,” says Danny Groves, head of communications at Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) in a statement. "People really shouldn’t jump in the water with solitary dolphins as it isn’t good for them or the dolphins.”
According to a BBC report, Reggie has been seen trying to push swimmers’ heads underwater.
When people interact with these wild animals, they can lose their natural caution as they get used to being around humans. Habituation usually happens in gradual stages, says Groves, but the speed with which Reggie has become accustomed to humans is alarming.
“Typically, it can take several months for a solitary dolphin to progress from stage 0 (no interaction with people or boats) to stage 4 (full interaction with people and boats), but in the case of Reggie reaching stage 4 has only taken a matter of weeks,” he says, adding that this “is now a cause for serious concern, both for the dolphin and for public safety.”
Reggie has reportedly already been injured, possibly by a boat propeller (seen in the image at the top of the article).
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO), Dorset Police and Dorset Wildlife Trust issued a joint statement reminding people that cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) are protected and that people can be fined or even receive jail time for approaching or harassing them.
“Although seeing dolphins in the wild can be a special experience, irresponsible behaviour, particularly from those swimming, paddleboarding, jet-skiing or operating watercraft, can place the animal, or yourself at risk,” the statement says.
Bottlenose dolphins are very large animals. Some individuals can reach four metres long and weigh around 500 kilograms – that’s heavier than the average grizzly bear. The bottlenose dolphins found in the UK grow larger than anywhere else in the world because being bigger, and having more blubber, helps them keep warm in cold British waters. Their size and strength mean they can potentially do significant damage to a swimmer.
“Dolphins are large (often extremely large) and typically are robust and powerful,” says Groves. “They may react unpredictably, but we shouldn’t demonise or punish wild creatures for being wild.”
The MMO adds, "We’ve seen a lot of people on social media suggesting it’s fine to interact if Reggie approaches them. However, we advise that people in or on the water keep a steady course, slowly leave the area, or simply exit the water."
Top image: 'Reggie' the dolphin. Credit: Marine Management Organisation
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