Be careful! Dolphins in mating season can hurt people, 18 people injured in a Japanese seaside town
2024-08-28
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[Global Times Comprehensive Report] According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on the 26th, a series of attacks on swimmers occurred in the Japanese seaside town of Mihama this summer, injuring at least 18 people, including a seriously injured elementary school student whose fingers had at least 20 stitches. The perpetrator of the attack was identified as a bottlenose dolphin whose courtship was frustrated. Local officials warned that dolphins will not only "bite you with sharp teeth and make you bleed", but also "drag you into the sea and endanger your life."
Bottlenose dolphin data map Source: foreign media
Masamune Morisaka, a professor of cetacean science at Mie University in Japan, said that male bottlenose dolphins communicate through "playful nibbling" and "they are communicating with humans in a dolphin's way". The BBC said that experts have different opinions on why this dolphin frequently attacks humans, one of which is that the dolphin is eagerly looking for a mate. "Bottlenose dolphins are highly social animals, and this sociality can be expressed through physical actions." Dr. Simon Allen, a biologist and lead researcher of the Shark Bay Dolphin Research Project in Australia, said: "Like humans and other social animals, hormone fluctuations, sexual frustration or the desire for dominance may drive dolphins to harm people they interact with." Marine mammal experts at the National University of Singapore said that the dolphin's behavior may be in self-defense.
Wild dolphins rarely attack humans, but if they feel threatened or harassed, they will bite or drag people underwater. Japanese officials have tried a variety of measures to prevent dolphins from attacking humans, including installing underwater acoustic devices designed to prevent dolphins from approaching humans, or limiting swimming time in certain waters. (Zhou Yang)
