Dolphins have been found to bludgeon porpoises to death by the hundreds. Unlike most animal killers, who eat their prey, dolphins seem to have murderous urges unrelated to the need for food. They have even been observed in recurring acts of infanticide. Off Scotland, a scientist watched in shock for nearly an hour as an adult dolphin repeatedly picked up a baby in its mouth and smacked it against the water, over and over, until it sank from view. Off Virginia, researchers found at least nine baby dolphins killed, their ribs broken, their skulls and vertebrae smashed. One small body bore puncture marks matching the pattern of adult dolphin teeth. "We have such a benign image of dolphins," said Dr. Dale J. Dunn, a veterinary pathologist at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, who aided the Virginia study. "So finding evidence of violence is disturbing." More widely, scientists and Federal officials worry about dolphins' injuring, or even killing humans, especially given the rise in watching, feeding and swimming programs. Officials at the Commerce Department's National Marine Fisheries Service have begun an educational campaign that sends out brochures to marinas, schools and fairs in coastal areas where people and dolphins interact, urging caution and warning of peril. "Dozens of bites have been reported," says one flier. "And people have been pulled under water. A woman who fed a pair of dolphins and then jumped into the water to swim with them was bitten. "I literally ripped my left leg out of its mouth," she said during her one-week stay in the hospital. In the United States, dolphin commerce is loosely regulated, and many countries have no rules at all. An American ban on feeding wild dolphins is routinely ignored by tour boats, which use food to lure dolphins nearby so people wearing masks and snorkels can swim among the creatures. Federal rules on how to handle captive dolphins, completed last year, were suspended after swim centers objected to some provisions. Revised rules are not expected until next year, and many experts say tourist attractions will remain largely unfettered until a major accident occurs.
