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'Curious' dolphin charms French town but experts concerned / Photo: © AFP
'Curious' dolphin charms French town but experts concerned
A young bottlenose dolphin has taken up residence in the waters of the French beach town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, delighting locals and tourists while raising concerns about the animal's safety.
The female cetacean has been lingering just off the southwestern town's central beach since mid-October.
On a recent morning, with the heat already intense and the beach crowded, a dolphin's fin was seen regularly rising above the water just a few meters from the shore, weaving among the swimmers.
Pascale Fossecave, an oceanographer and the city's deputy for environmental affairs who has been observing the animal, said she had apparently been expelled from her pod.
The dolphin has been seeking "social interaction", readily approaching the shore and displaying a marked "curiosity toward humans", Fossecave said.
Measuring over two meters in length and weighing between 200 and 250 kilograms, the dolphin is believed to be between six and eight years old and has not yet reached maturity, she added.
"The reason why she came here escapes us," Fossecave said.
"These animals do not get lost. They can communicate over distances of up to 20 kilometres," she added. "We know she can hear the other animals."
While the dolphin has thrilled locals, her presence has also raised concerns about her safety, as well as that of swimmers, as the summer season approaches and France endures scorching temperatures this week.
Authorities have called on beachgoers to behave responsibly, warning that inappropriate conduct could result in a 750-euro fine, said Bixente Luberriaga, head of beach safety.
"Unfortunately, we end up managing humans more than the dolphin, because it's human behaviour that causes problems," said Fossecave.
"We see gatherings and attempts to surround her, which can create risky situations."
Experts caution that frequent close contact with humans can be harmful to dolphins, increasing the risk of injury or death. Once they become fully accustomed to human presence, they may lose their natural wariness of people, boats, and jet skis, and most do not survive for long under such conditions.
Fossecave expressed hope that the dolphin would eventually return to open sea.
Across the border in Spain, a dolphin nicknamed Pakito settled in the waters off San Sebastian in the 1990s, where he lived for several years and became both a local celebrity and a symbol of the city.
A. Martins--JDB
