The public has been warned to keep away from an injured dolphin filmed playing with swimmers off the coast of Dorset. The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) said it was increasingly concerned about a lone bottlenose dolphin, nicknamed Reggie, spotted in Lyme Bay.
The dolphin has a visible gash on the right side of its torso beneath its dorsal fin, which the MMO said was not part of a pod. It appeared in a viral clip in early August alongside Lynda MacDonald, her partner, her son and his girlfriend, bobbing in and out of the water and receiving belly rubs.
Despite the seemingly harmless interaction, the MMO issued a strict warning that such encounters 'can harm dolphins leading to injury, death, or aggression'. The agency urged the public to never swim with, touch, feed, or approach dolphins, and to calmly leave the area if a dolphin approaches.
'Human interaction can cause dolphins to lose their natural wariness, leading to injury or even death,' the MMO said. 'Disturbed dolphins are also known to become aggressive toward people. Dolphins may seem friendly, but they are wild animals. The dolphin in Lyme Bay has already been injured by a suspected boat propeller.'
Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) advises keeping a safe distance from dolphins, leaving after about 15 minutes, and ensuring no more than two boats are within 300 metres of a group. According to the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, 28 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises have been recorded in UK waters, including bottlenose, common, Risso's and white-beaked dolphins, with an estimated 700 bottlenose dolphins living off the UK's shores.
