Bertie Gregory Instagram – Who wants to swim with wild dolphins? It’s an amazing thing to do, the dolphins are having a great time and, in many places, it gives marine life an economic value beyond being killed. However, it isn’t quite that simple. These images were taken at Sataya Reef in the Red Sea. The local spinner dolphins hunt during the night in the open ocean and then return each morning to sleep in the protection of the reef. For the first half an hour, the dolphins are incredibly playful and I genuinely believe they ‘enjoy’ interacting with people. The issue is that the dolphins then try to go to sleep and this is when more people arrive. When sleeping, dolphins move slowly at the surface and in very predictable directions. It would still be possible to have a magical and respectful encounter if the boats spread out, put their people in the water and waited patiently for a pass. But this doesn’t happen. The boats race around trying to cut off the dolphins and drop people right on top of them. Ethics aside, the irony is this causes the dolphins to move faster and much more erratically making an encounter even more difficult.
It’s easy to assume that wildlife watching boats are always operating in the best interests of the wildlife and it’s even easier to offload any responsibility on to the boat crew. So the next time you’re watching wildlife with a guide, I encourage you all to think about how you’ve approach an animal and if you think you’re causing disturbance, ask questions. Please share your thoughts below! | Posted on 24/May/2024 17:30:36
