Our lonely bottlenose dolphin Reggie has continued to capture hearts and headlines as he’s swum through Lyme Bay. Luna has decided to isolate himself from his pod or family group. This young male dolphin is believed to be the 16th lone cetacean spotted in UK waters over the last 35 years. As he becomes increasingly rambunctious in his encounters with swimmers, marine biologists are sounding the alarm. From there, they fear what the combination of his behavior and the inevitable public backlash might do.
As first seen in July, Reggie sports deep scarring from a propeller strike. He’s drawn much Maier’s media attention for his anti-social, sullen persona and rising gall. According to marine biologist Sonja Eisfeld-Pierantonio, Reggie recently reached the fourth stage of habituation. This stage is considered a critical point at which wild animals become conditioned to human presence. She reminds people that any interaction with Reggie should be treated as if he were a wild animal, not an engagement opportunity.
To allow for the dolphin to be identified in communications, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) very reluctantly named the dolphin “Reggie”. Ever since, he photo-bombed and video-bombed swimmers. This has alarmed marine mammal experts, including NOAA, about the dangers posed to the public and the dolphin. Lastly, Liz Sandeman, another marine guru, reminded us that Reggie’s frisky antics could put him and humans in perilous predicaments.
“Reggie is becoming more boisterous over the weeks. He’s a juvenile, he’s not adult. But he’s around 1,000lbs [454kg]. Over the coming months he will become larger. He will become powerful. He doesn’t really know the harm he could be doing to us in the water.” – Liz Sandeman
The other day, an underwater incident with Reggie forcing two female swimmers back underwater raised even more red flags. Although some people might recreate or interpret this conduct as fun, specialists warn it can be dangerous. Sandeman soon calmed the crowd by promising that Reggie had no desire to attack anyone. He cautioned us about the danger of getting Reggie’s story wrong.
“He was definitely not trying to drown people. If that dolphin wanted to drown someone, it could easily do it,” – Liz Sandeman
Despite this reassurance, the situation remains precarious. The public must stay no closer than 100 meters from Reggie. This distance will ensure that they are safe and healthy, as will the dolphin. Experts agree, the more humans interact with Reggie, the more he’s likely to lose his natural instincts. Eisfeld-Pierantonio elaborated on this concern.
“Although solitary, Reggie is still a wild animal and should be treated as such, not as an opportunity to interact with. These dolphins stop behaving like wild animals because of humans insisting to interact with them. They might stop feeding naturally, take more risks, and get too close to dangerous situations. Sadly, most solitary sociable dolphins don’t survive long once fully habituated.” – Sonja Eisfeld-Pierantonio
We’ll observe how Reggie is being completely present and meeting the world as it is. Marine conservationists can only hope his new fortune lies with the public’s appreciation of his wildness. Sandeman said the case underscores a dangerous precedent being set.
“This is the worst scenario I’ve seen for at least 25 years.” – Liz Sandeman