19 hours ago
Steer clear of dolphin ‘targeting women in wetsuits', swimmers warned
A dolphin that appears to be 'targeting women in wetsuits' could be dangerous to humans, experts have warned.
The animal, which has been named Reggie, was first spotted joining swimmers in Lyme Bay, Dorset, for an early morning dip on Aug 3 and its presence has attracted crowds of people to the area.
But experts say that Reggie, which appears to be living on its own, could snap and turn aggressive amid all the attention, which could also be a danger to its own safety.
It has already been photographed with gashes that were seemingly caused by a boat's propeller.
Kayaker Rhys Paterson, 32, said he was forced to intervene after the dolphin began jumping on a woman, pushing her head repeatedly under the water.
Footage showed the swimmer saying: 'It scared me to death – oh my goodness!' before being pushed under the waves on Aug 14.
Mr Paterson, a development director from Lyme Regis, said the filmed incident was not the only confrontation, and the dolphin appeared to be 'targeting women in wetsuits'.
'We saved two swimmers who were fairly deep, where the dolphin kept jumping on them,' he added. 'The dolphin was basically drowning this woman – it kind of jumped on her back four times.
'We had been following the dolphin for a little bit, because obviously it's quite a local legend at the minute.
'But when we realised it wasn't playing, it was quite a big shock. People need to understand that it's not an amusement arcade. It's a wild animal. It can snap all of a sudden.'
'Multiple potential offences' observed
The Marine Management Organisation, a government quango, said: 'We're increasingly concerned about a lone dolphin spotted in Lyme Bay following multiple potential marine wildlife disturbance offences observed online and shared on social media.
'Please remember – never swim with, touch, feed, or approach dolphins. If a dolphin approaches you, calmly leave the area.
'Human interaction can cause dolphins to lose their natural wariness, leading to injury or even death. Disturbed dolphins are also known to become aggressive toward people.'
However, some holidaymakers are ignoring the warnings, and videos posted online show paddle-boarders floating close to the dolphin.
'Leave the poor thing alone'
One social media user commented: 'We went down last night and watched from the shore. We were shocked to see so many paddle-boarders out there (around 20) and they were all following the dolphin and not leaving him alone.
'Yes it's magical for everyone to be up close but seriously have a word with yourselves. Leave the poor thing alone.'
Lucy Babey, the director of programmes at Orca, a marine conservation charity, told The Telegraph: 'This is a wild animal and a large, robust animal. Interacting with the dolphin could result in serious injuries to both people and the dolphin.'
Bottlenose dolphins are native to British shores, can reach up to 13ft in length and typically weigh around 500kg.
It is illegal to intentionally or recklessly kill, injure or disturb dolphins, whales and porpoises under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Approaching or recklessly disturbing a dolphin can result in a prison sentence of up to six months and an unlimited fine.
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