Once friendly dolphin needs help in Texas after people won’t leave it be, officials say

Kaitlyn Alanis
·3 min read

People kept playing with a dolphin known to be friendly off the Texas coast, and now rescuers have had to step in and remove the dolphin from her home, officials say.

“The animal’s health is declining and she needs medical attention,” according to the the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) fisheries division. “Without proper medical attention, and possible treatment, the dolphin could die. Our hope was to give this animal every chance to be wild and live safely in her home - intervention was a last resort.”

Rescuers with the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network, Texas State Aquarium and SeaWorld San Antonio partnered with NOAA to help save the injured dolphin. She was pulled from the waters of North Padre Island on June 30.

This rescue follows Texas wildlife experts urging people to stay away from the “dolphin with a friendly reputation,” McClatchy News previously reported.

‘Human interaction is to blame’

“Over the past year the public has become more and more interested in the animal—even showing up to swim with, ride, jump on, and pet the dolphin,” NOAA said in June 2021.

“These actions could be dangerous—even fatal—for the dolphin,” the federal agency warned at the time.

In May 2022, officials said the habituated dolphin’s situation was “dire” — a threat to both the animal and people in the area.

“Biologists report the animal is showing more aggressive behavior, separating children from their parents in the water, and isolating swimming pets from their owners,” the update said. “Human interaction is to blame for the dolphin’s increasingly aggressive behavior.”

As people continued to seek out the dolphin, officials say the animal began mirroring their behavior. She sought out people, boats and other interaction. Getting too close to the boats injured the dolphin, creating wounds.

Why wasn’t the dolphin relocated?

While it may seem like moving the animal to another area would have been a win-win, experts say it likely would not have been a permanent solution.

“This is especially true when people have taught the dolphin to associate with them by feeding and interacting with it,” NOAA said in 2021. “This area is now the dolphin’s home. If moved, it would either return to the area or move the same problem behaviors to another area, decreasing its chances of survival. Instead, biologists explain, we must change human behavior, not the dolphin’s behavior or its home. “

‘Harassing and feeding dolphins’ is illegal

“Harassing and feeding dolphins” is illegal under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Anyone caught disturbing a dolphin may face up to $100,000 in penalties and a year in prison per violation, according to NOAA.

Experts recommend people keep at least 50 yards away from dolphins — and do not interact with them at all.

“Loving them from afar is the best way to insure a dolphin’s ability to thrive and live a full life,” NOAA said.

If you see someone interacting with a dolphin, call the enforcement hotline at 800-853-1964.

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