Wild Dolphin Greets Humans: Is This Normal?
Nov. 16, 2017 - A couple befriended a wild Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin off the coast of Western Australia. But this happy scene belies a serious problem. According to dolphin expert Stefanie Garza, the dolphin has come to associate humans with food due to repeated feeding by previous visitors. Both dolphins and humans can risk injury, so it's safer to keep a safe distance.
Learn more about the common bottlenose dolphin.
Clay Lewis was diving off Western Australia, when his wife called out—she'd seen a shark.
As Lewis told news site The West Australian, he jumped in the boat.
But the animal stuck around.
By now, they could see it was no shark.
This Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin is begging, like a dog at a table.
It's come to associate humans with food.
That seeming smile is adorable, and the Lewises meant no harm by enjoying its company.
But it's dangerous to get close to wild dolphins, explains National Geographic Explorer and dolphin expert Stefanie Garza.
By learning to approach boats, dolphins risk injury.
And dolphins have strong jaws and sharp teeth.
So, despite the mistaken shark scare, climbing on board was still the right move.
But after that, it's best to keep a safer distance.
