[Ammi]

No one knows why Reggie, the solitary-sociable bottlenose dolphin, has chosen to linger alone in Lyme Bay, away from his pod or family group.

Lone cetaceans are rare in UK waters – Reggie is believed to be the 16th in 35 years – but young males do sometimes break away to live alone, probably explained by their fission-fusion society.

But now he is off Dorset, and his fate, marine experts say, lies in our hands.

Photographs and social media footage in recent weeks have left experts concerned for Reggie – reluctantly named by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) for official identification purposes despite fears of anthropomorphism

Headlines claimed he was “asking for belly rubs” as he surfaced near swimmers.

“He’s not asking for belly rubs,” said Liz Sandeman, co-founder of the Marine Connections charity, who has monitored solitary dolphins since 1989. “It makes him sound like a toy.”

Last week, reports suggested he was “trying to drown” two female swimmers after pushing them under water before kayakers intervened.

“He was definitely not trying to drown people. If that dolphin wanted to drown someone, it could easily do it,” said Sandeman. “Reggie is becoming more boisterous over the weeks. He’s a juvenile, he’s not adult. But he’s around 1,000lbs [454kg]. Over the coming months he will become larger. He will become powerful. He doesn’t really know the harm he could be doing to us in the water.

“So he’s definitely not being aggressive. And he’s definitely not a dangerous dolphin. The situation is becoming dangerous, for the swimmers and the dolphin. But he’s not a dangerous dolphin.”

The media hype over Reggie, she said, “is the worst scenario I’ve seen for at least 25 years”.

Part of the problem is Reggie has become habituated too rapidly, possibly because Lyme Bay is a busy area for swimmers, kayakers and boats. In July, he was spotted with scars from a propeller strike.

Sonja Eisfeld-Pierantonio of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation charity said: “What seems like a friendly bond is actually habituation – the dolphin changing his behaviour to fit a human presence.”

In the first three stages of habituation, the dolphin might be seen in a number of locations, then establish itself, choosing a particular buoy or moored vessel to rest. It may start to follow boats, but will maintain a distance from people. It then may become familiar with a small group of people and interact only with them in the water.

Then there is stage four, which Reggie is certainly at. As the presence of a dolphin becomes known, and it becomes a local tourist attraction, it will allow physical contact and swim with anyone. Typically, the process can take several months, according to Eisfeld-Pierantonio, “but this individual has reached stage four within a matter of weeks – which is now a cause for serious concern, both for the dolphin and for public safety.”

She said: “Although solitary, Reggie is still a wild animal and should be treated as such, not as an opportunity to interact with. These dolphins stop behaving like wild animals, because of humans insisting to interact with them. They might stop feeding naturally, take more risks, and get too close to dangerous situations. Sadly, most solitary sociable dolphins don’t survive long once fully habituated.”

Sandeman has seen it before. In the summer of 2018, Danny, a male bottlenose dolphin in Portland, Dorset, was killed by a boat he had become too familiar with. “Time and time and time again, we’re losing solitary sociable dolphins. And no matter how many times we tell the public, they are just not listening, because they see it as a SeaWorld dolphin,” she said.

The MMO said it was aware of the recent footage circulating of Reggie being boisterous with swimmers. “Our messaging remains very much the same in that dolphins may at times seem friendly but are unpredictable wild animals. You should never intentionally approach, feed, swim with, or otherwise disturb them.

“Human interaction can cause dolphins to lose their natural wariness, leading to injury or even death. Dolphins which are repeatedly disturbed by the presence of people are also known to become aggressive over time.

“We remind all water users to maintain at least 100 metres’ distance. If a dolphin chooses to approach you, you should in this situation maintain a steady course, leave the area, or simply leave the water.”


https://uk.yahoo.com/news/perilous-c...140002250.html