3 days ago
Fears for playful dolphin who DANCED with family in incredible video at popular UK beach after it's ‘hit by a boat'
FEARS have been raised for a dolphin that was spotted playing happily with a family in the water before it was found injured by a boat.
Lynda MacDonald, 50, and her partner, son and his girlfriend, set out for their 6am morning swim at Lyme Bay, Dorset on August 3 when they encountered the friendly dolphin.
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Just moments after leaping into the chilly water the family encountered a curios bottlenose dolphin.
The playful dolphin dances across the water towards the astonished family before swimming on its back and asking for belly rubs.
Sadly, the dolphin seen in the footage has since been found injured by a boat in the Lyme Bay area.
Wildlife experts have warned swimmers to avoid the creatures and fear for other dolphins around the UK's coast.
Lynda, who works in advertising, said about her encounter: "Out of nowhere, the dolphin immediately approached us and wanted to join in on the action.
"It was friendly and playful. It even started guiding members of our group along the water with its beak.
"It was not distressed by our presence and was very confident around us.
"I've seen a dolphin before, but this is something I'll remember forever."
Lynda described the encounter as "magical" adding how glad she was to have caught it on camera.
Dolphins appear in UK waters fairly regularly, according to the Dorset Wildlife Trust there are 28 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises in British coastal waters.
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The creatures are curios and playful and will approach boats and even sometimes come close to swimmers.
But marine experts have asked tourists to stay away from the playful animals, raising concerns for the safety of the sea creatures.
Touching the animals can leave them vulnerable to predators according to experts.
Swimmers have also been warned away from feeding dolphins any animal food, which may kill them.
Lynda said about her encounter: "You can hear the footage audio that the dolphin was happy to interact with us.
"But we were mindful; we played for five minutes and then let it go on its way."
The UK is thought to have a population of around 700 coastal bottlenose dolphins.
The species is renowned for being sociable and playful, often interacting with vessels.
They are regularly seen off the coast of the UK and spend a large amount of time in coastal waters.
Bottlenose dolphins are commonly seen in Moray Firth, Scotland, Cardigan Bay, Wales, and off the coasts of Cornwall and Northumberland.
Playing with dolphins could stress the animals and disrupt their behaviour, migration and feeding.
Dolphins, along with whales and other porpoises, are protected by law under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Approaching or disturbing a dolphin can result in up to six months in prison as well as an unlimited fine.
