We often hear stories of dolphins helping humans get rid of shark attacks, helping drowning people ashore, and so on.
As a result, the image of dolphins in human minds is often intelligent and friendly.
Recently, however, a dolphin in Fukui City, Japan, shattered that impression.
At around 9 a.m. on Thursday, a man in his 40s was swimming about five meters from the shore.
Suddenly a dolphin appeared and bit the back of his hand and both arms;
At about 3:30 p.m., the same dolphin attacked a teenage boy again, injuring the finger of his left hand.
Two "crimes" were committed in a few hours, which was very brutal.
However, this is not the first time the dolphin has attacked.
This summer alone, it has caused at least six attacks, which can be called "bad deeds".
Although dolphins have always been known for their intelligence and friendliness, they are actually high-class carnivores, with at least 70% of the diet being meat, and at this point, dolphins and crocodiles, killer whales, and sharks are on the same level.
Their teeth look like this, if they are bitten...
Both of Thursday's dolphin attacks took place at Koshikoshi Beach in Fukui City, a popular bathing beach for tourists, and it's clear that it's not just humans who love the beach, but also dolphins.
On July 24 alone, six dolphin attacks were reported at the baths, followed by dolphin attacks on July 29, August 7, and August 11, as mentioned above.
Dolphins have long been known to local residents, sometimes in shallow seas as deep as the knee. In April this year, someone took pictures of wild dolphins:
Why the "suspect dolphin" launched this series of attacks is still unclear, according to Japanese dolphin ecology expert Ryoichi Matsubara, the culprit of this series of attacks belongs to the southern bottlenose dolphin.
Compared to other wild dolphins, this dolphin is more attached to humans and therefore less easily accessible.
"Dolphins are cute and I understand the idea that you want to get close to them, but dolphins can attack people, and if you see them, please come ashore to observe," Matsuhara said. ”
At present, the official also has no tricks to take the dolphins, so they have to install ultrasonic transmitters along the coastline, hoping that high-frequency noise can prevent dolphins from attacking.
But the role seems to be limited, on July 25, the equipment installed, on the 28th, there were tourists who were approached by dolphins, and now there are two people who have been bitten.......
In addition, signs were installed in a toilet near the entrance to the beach warning people not to touch dolphins;
Experts issued a warning: "If you see dolphins, get out of the water immediately and stay away from them"; The government also urged tourists not to go into the water as much as possible.
However, under this heavy warning, it is still impossible to stop people from being curious.......
One man said: "Before entering the beach, I was warned not to approach the dolphins. I want to see dolphins, but they're wild, so I'll be careful. ”
After listening to so many dolphin stories, it is normal to be curious about dolphins, but it may not be so wise to want to get up close and personal with dolphins.
Because this pair of dolphins, for humans, there may be a certain danger.
For humans, exposure to dolphins can be a fatal risk:
Dolphins, while rarely aggressive to humans, are by no means unheard of.
In County Clare, Ireland, there is a dolphin named Dutty. Dusty is a typical friendly dolphin that often swims with the locals, so it is famous.
(Dusty gets up close and personal with divers)
In 2013, a woman named Valerie Ryan met Dusty in the water, she was a little excited, and began to swim towards Dusty.
The result somehow aroused Dusty's territorial awareness, and it began to pat its tail constantly.
Valerie realized something was wrong and tried to swim away quickly, but how could anyone swim past a dolphin?
She was hit hard by Dutty, breaking three of her ribs, injuring her lungs and breaking six of her spine.
Fortunately, there were people around her who rescued her from the shore, but she still recuperated for five months.
This is also not the first time Dusty has attacked, in the previous years, Dusty had taken at least four humans to hospital.....
The most recent one was just ten days before Valerie was injured.
As for why Dusty, who has always been friendly, launched the attack suddenly, one biologist explained that it was not necessarily intentional.
Although dolphins use collisions to kill dolphin pups and porpoises, this collision also occurs between adult dolphins, who play a game of collision.
(Dusty swims with people)
Dusty may be fine hitting a dolphin, but bumping into someone, who can stand it.......
For dolphins, contact with humans too often can also hurt them.
A British study showed that swimming near bottlenose dolphins and trying to touch them can put extreme stress on them, making them unable to rest, feed and raise children.
When severe, it can even cause them to have "psychological problems".
With the development of information, the public's love for dolphins is deepening, and some travel companies have joined the holiday package with "dolphin watching" as a project.
(Advertisement of a company)
However, being exposed to tourists all day is also a lot of pressure for dolphins, which may force dolphins to move, and they may not be able to find a better habitat.
Now some travel companies also see this, and they are also actively changing policies: dolphins are really smart and will take the initiative to play with humans.
But contact with people and dolphins should be dominated by dolphins, who are working to limit the number of boats and tourists and strive not to disturb the dolphins' ecology.
But even so, Mark Simmonds, a spokesman for the Whale and Dolphin Conservancy, still thinks it's excessive.
Because dolphins and humans are still at risk of spreading diseases, it is best to like them on land.
After all, the best place for dolphins to appear is the sea...