Warning as children swim with wild dolphin in Somerset (Update)

A dolphin that appeared to be stranded in Somerset on Monday made its way to deeper waters by itself.

The juvenile dolphin, estimated to be three or four-year-old, was first spotted near Somerset Long Bay on Monday morning around 10am.

It was seen swimming with children but one source said wild dolphins can be dangerous as they don’t know if humans are a threat or not.

Christine Mehelcic, general manager of Dolphin Quest Bermuda, monitored the mammal along with Dr Ian Walker of the Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo.

“Dolphin Quest itself are a member of the standing call out organization that’s in Bermuda.

“It’s led by Dr Ian Walker. We were about to get out there first... to provide information to Dr Walker who drove the process. We did actually set up a remote hospital to which we were prepared to intervene if needed to be able to provide the dolphin with assistance.”

She continued: “In the afternoon, it started venturing out, offshore to which we sort of monitored it and decided at that point let’s see what happens.

No more sightings

“We have not had any calls or reports today of any sightings. If there are any sightings, we would obviously encourage everybody to provide that information to the aquarium who would be dispatched.”

Explaining what a remote hospital is, Ms Mehelcic said: “Dolphin Quest has a med pool which is a large pool that you’re able to adhere to the dolphin.

“It’s a small contained environment to do what we need to do medically.”

Surf Sup owner Larry Fox also saw the dolphin and said it didn’t appear to be in any distress.

“It was just swimming around with us. I first saw it at 10am. It was here all day.”

He said he didn’t know if something was wrong with the dolphin or if it had lost its family.

 “It would be over there swimming right next to us and we could touch it. It was that close.

“It would swim away and it would come right back.”

While dolphins aren’t considered particularly dangerous, attacks can happen. One source who has volunteered with dolphin strandings said: “The most important thing that the Dolphin Quest community will be concerned with is the health and well being of the dolphin plus the safety of the public.

“They are likely strongly advising people not be in close vicinity to it for both its and their safety.

“Dolphins are mammals and are therefore air breathers, sadly, this dolphin may be sick and has come to shore as it would instinctively know that it needs to be in shallow water.

“A sick animal will leave their group as they are weaker and could therefore risk attracting predators.”

The source continued: “It is first and foremost a wild animal — unfamiliar with people, it may be sick or stressed.  

“Its natural behaviour includes using its teeth — the lines you see on the surface of dolphins skin are usually superficial and called ‘rake marks’ and are either from play ordefensive.

“Their tale flukes are incredibly powerful which could accidently hurt someone if you are standing too close.

“There is currently no stranded dolphin/whale programme on the island, but there are a team of fantastic animal care-givers at both Dolphin Quest and BAMZ who have practiced procedures and protocols for situations just like this one.”

Last May, three people were attacked by a wild dolphin in the small town of Slidell, Louisiana.

The male dolphin had been living in a canal in the town since 2005 after Hurricane Katrina.

According to Fox 8 news channel, a teenage boy was bitten as he put his hand in the water to wash it off.

A girl was also bitten and ripped the tendons in her hand as she pulled it free from the dolphin’s mouth.

At the time,  Emergency room Dr Lloyd Gueringer told the Fox 8 news channel: “This is out of the ordinary. I’ve never seen it before and I’ve been practising emergency medicine for over 30 years.”

Experts believed the dolphin has become used to being fed by local people and had begun its attacks because it now associated humans with food. n