Swimming with dolphins very dangerous – experts
WARNINGS about the danger of swimming with wild animals have been issued after a video of people swimming with dolphins was posted on social media.
There have been sightings of 20 or so individual dolphins in Guernsey waters this summer, according to Nicky Harris, co-ordinator of The DolFin Project.
‘Dolphins can get very stressed if approached by swimmers and, just like any wild animal, their behaviour is not predictable’, said Ms Harris.
‘It is really dangerous and puts both dolphins and swimmers at risk.
‘They are wild animals. No sane person would want to walk up to a pack of lions in the wild with their cubs.’
Adult dolphins can easily reach 250 kilos in weight and up to four metres in length.
At least three bottlenose calves have been spotted swimming with their mothers.
Baby dolphins cannot dive for very long and, if agitated, may either attack a swimmer or try to swim away. If separated from the mother, that poses a risk of death for the calf.
Bottlenose dolphins are particularly known for being unpredictable and sometimes aggressive.
Summer is mating season for the animals, which means they can be even more erratic.
In the UK, fines of up to £5,000 can be issued for reckless or deliberate disturbance, harassment, killing or injury of dolphins and other cetaceans. However, there are no such protection laws in place in Guernsey.
Ms Harris added: ‘I would advise people to check Guernsey Coastguard’s dolphin code of conduct document which details how close you can safely be to dolphins.’
In more positive news, several Risso’s dolphins have been spotted in Guernsey waters this summer. These animals have a heavily scarred body, not smooth like that of a Bottlenose. They are usually only seen from August to September and are harder to spot than common dolphins.
