It can be tempting to dive into the ocean when a dolphin is spotted, but wildlife authorities in Bunbury want people to take some simple steps to avoid harming the curious creatures, and to always dispose of rubbish and fishing lines properly.
With an increasing population and more people using the water, more dolphins have been getting entangled in litter.Authorities want people to watch wild dolphins in the ocean from a safe and legal distance.
One dolphin, named Bistro, was left with a scar after he spent months trying to free himself from plastic that had wrapped around his body.A braided fishing line, used for catching larger fish, became caught around the tail of a dolphin named Tracker, while a particularly curious dolphin called Reggae was known to regularly become entangled.
One was a 14-year-old pregnant female named River, who had been entangled in fishing line since 2020."She's lived with that entanglement around her pectoral fin for the last four years and unfortunately was found dead ," Mr Menzies said. "Well, guess what? That sign doesn't exist in the ocean and that's why see often see, especially younger dolphins, being entangled."DBCA regional wildlife officer Pia Courtis said people should not feed dolphins as it encouraged them to swim up to boats.
Ms Courtis said she knew how "lovely" it could be to see dolphins swimming up to people's boats but urged them not to throw anything overboard. Mr Grossmann and Ms Courtis agreed following these simple steps will help preserve the dolphin population for the future.
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