Friend or Foe: Dolphin Aggression

If you should encounter dolphins in the wild, following a few "rules" will ensure your safety...and the memory. Allow the dolphin to come to you. Do not chase the dolphin, it may see you as a threat and react accordingly. Keep your hands and feet as still as possible. Dolphins do not have protruding extremities and they may become very curious about yours. Dolphins satisfy their curiosities by using all of their senses, including taste. Do not touch the dolphin. If the dolphin wants to feel you or for you to feel it, it will rub itself against you. Keep the interaction to a short period of time, no longer then one hour. As stated earlier, dolphins have instincts that tell them what to do and when to do it. Interacting for any long period of time will distract the dolphin from this routine and it may become aggressive in attempt to make you flee. Lastly, if you are lucky enough to interact with a mother and calf, do not attempt to touch, or interact, with the calf in any manner. The mother will become very protective. Mothers will defend their young, at all costs.

Interaction with dolphins can allow for a memory that will last a lifetime, if it is done correctly. The organizations and facilities that allow human / dolphin interaction are making changes that will ensure safety for all visitors and dolphin lovers alike. Allowing only female dolphins to interact with human females, and assigning a professional trainer to each dolphin are just two of the changes that are being made to ensure a safe and exciting adventure for all. Following the rules, and using common sense will only prove to protect the visitor, and the dolphin.

Remember, when humans go into the water to interact with dolphins, we are in their world, and we must play by their rules.

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