Dolphin bites tourist

DISCLAIMER: DolphinLovers.com is only carrying this article in order to present a well rounded set of facts about Dolphins. We believe that the VERY FEW dolphin "attacks" in recent years are a result of the dolphin's natural habitat being threatened. It is our opinion that if a dolphin truly wanted to hurt a human, they could do much more damage than "minor cuts and bruises."

Author: Matt Villano

Sarasota County Fire Department paramedics bandaged the wound at the Point Countess Coast Guard station where her family had gone for help. Local newspapers quoted the girl as saying that she “preferred something else to take home to France as a souvenir.” According to Randall Wells, director of the Mote Marine Laboratory Center for Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Research, the dolphin in question was most likely a dolphin named Beggar, or another dolphin that may have learned to mimic him. Beggar, named by Mote researchers for his habit of approaching boats in the Nokomis area and seeking handouts, is the only one with this particular personality problem of 2,500 dolphins in Southwest Florida monitored regularly by Mote. “Others will occasionally beg, but he's the one who does it most regularly and most dangerously,” Wells said. Beggar's reputation is widespread. “He's quite famous,” said Trevor Spradlin, a marine mammobiologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service in Silver Spring, Md. Spradlin and Wells said that at least one person bitten in the past by Beggar suffered a severe infection, but later recovered. Both experts insisted that the real problem is not the dolphins, but the fact that humans bother and molest the animals despite federal warnings and prohibitions. The Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1973 forbids these interactions, threatening abusers with fines of up to $25,000.

“It's the natural response for a wild animal [to bite when bothered],” Spradlin said. “The law prohibits such harassment and feeding of marine mammals.”

Already, residents have suggested capturing Beggar and moving the dolphin, almost 10 years old, away from a populated area. Conservationists, in turn, have responded by calling for the waterway to be closed to swimmers. Both demands are humorous to Wells. While the researcher described the call to close area beaches as “ridiculous,” he said the idea of making Beggar adjust to life away from the Intracoastal Waterway in Nokomis was even crazier. “Why should he have to [leave]? That's his home,” Wells said.

Meanwhile, the incident raises new questions about the nature of dolphins, animals once thought to be friendly and calm. Recent studies and an article in The New York Times cited repeated instances of dolphin violence against humans, and Spradlin said he feared that news of this most recent attack would further damage the animals’ reputation. Neither Spradlin nor Wells could offer a solution to this scenario, though both vowed to increase their efforts to educate the community about the dangers of taunting wild animals.