Violent dolphin attacks: What's happening in Japan?
In recent years, there's been an increase of dolphin attacks in Japan. They attack swimmers, especially during the summer season.
Recently, a 10-year-old child was bitten on the hand by a cetacean, reports Japan Today, and replublished by La Dépêche. The incident took place in Tsuruga, on Tenoura beach. The boy in question wanted to go and see the dolphin from close up, only to be violently bitten on his hand. The injury was considered serious since the young victim had to have 20 stitches.
These increasingly frequent cetacean attacks are forcing Japanese authorities to prohibit contact between swimmers and dolphins (even to feed them). Prevention campaigns have been carried out to educate visitors in adopting correct actions and behaviors.
The coast guard, who is aware that dolphins can be unpredictable and wild, suspects the attacks are carried out by a particular dolphin, considering that between 2022 and 2023, several videos show a male bottlenose dolphin from the Indo-Pacific causing numerous attacks. According to the director of the Echizen Matsushima aquarium in Fukui, Ryoichi Matsubara, he dolphin in question could also be the instigtor of the bite on the young boy's hand.
Professor at James Cook University in Australia, Putu Mustika, also emphasizes that the increase of people in the dolphin's natural environment and in particular during their mating season could potentially explain the cetaceans' aggressiveness stance. “When they mate, dolphins can be very wild,” said Mustika, adding that they can also lunge at humans when they are excited.
No less than 16 attacks have been recorded in Japan since July 21, reports La Dépêche.
(MH with AsD - Source: La Dépêche - Illustration: Unsplash)
