#cetcean

Humpback whale in Sydney

The wonderful Seagifts asked me to do a post on why swimming with wild Orca is generally a bad idea, I’m going to extend this a bit to why jumping into the sea to swim with any wild cetacean, without guidance, is problematic. 

Cetaceans are amazing, beautiful creatures. Of course people want to get close to them, swim with them, and touch them, but more than likely this isn’t good for the cetaceans or the humans. 

The issue with unguided swimming

1. Many cetaceans are large powerful predators. 

We now know that Orca are not the fearsome monsters of legend, a wild Orca has never seriously harmed a person. However this improved reputation is not an excuse to potentially put yourself in harms way. Orca are huge, powerful animals and could accidentally, or given the wrong provocation, deliberately harm you. A swipe of a tail from an aggravated adult or a nip from the teeth from a curious calf could do serious damage do a tiny human. Similarly dolphins (especially Bottlenose Dolphins which can be very aggressive) can and have killed or injured swimmers in the past when provoked . The recent video of divers getting exceptionally close to a breaching humpback whale demonstrates obvious hazards x. Getting between a mother and her calf will not also cause stress to both parties, but will put unaware swimmers in the path of a mothers protective instinct. The cetaceans in question do not know you have innocent intentions - if threatened they will defend themselves.

2. Most people are not experts on cetacean behavior

What people may interpret as fun, happy, playful animals could be aversion, aggression or anguish. Without the presence of an expert many people will not know when it is time to back off, if their presence if disturbing the animal, and what the safe distance limits are. There are countless cases of “friendly” dolphins suddenly turning on unsuspecting tourists when they’re overcrowded or sexually frustrated . Most cetaceans want nothing to do with people, and that distance should be respected. 

3. It could be harming the animals

By swimming with wild cetaceans well meaning people could be disrupting hunting, rest, social bonding time, mother-calf nursing and travelling. Frequent disruption has been shown to negatively impact on wild cetacean behavior and therefore impact on their survival. Of course the animals can move away, however swimmers are potentially forcing them out of an important area. If the attached video multiple people are in the water, blocking the whales escape route. Surrounded animals could feel threatened, leading to stress and aggression. 

4. You could be breaking the law

In the US the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits the:

“taking" of marine mammals, i.e., to "harass, hunt, capture, or kill." "Level B harassment" was later defined in the act as "any act of pursuit, torment, or annoyance which . . . has the potential to disturb a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild by causing disruption of behavioral patterns.'' 

Similar legislation exists in most countries, therefore getting too close to cetaceans in a kayak, boat or swimming with them is likely to be illegal (e.g in New Zealand swimming within 100m of an Orca is illegal).These laws exist to protect the animals, even if it ruins a “fun” or “once in a lifetime” experience. 

The problem with guided tours

Guided tours to swim with wild dolphins exist in several parts of the world as an alternative to swimming with captive dolphins. Frequent disturbance of Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins by wild swim programs has been documented causing a change in their behavior, spinners come into the shallow areas to rest and constant disturbance by tourists forces them to move into less suitable areas. Disreputable tours may allow tourists too close to animals, or there may be too many companies offering swim with experiences in one area. Responsible companies do exist but we must question if increasing demand for wild cetacean tourism can continue without causing harm to the animals themselves.

What to do

1. If you are determined to go on a guided tour research the company and population of cetaceans in depth to ensure your trip won’t have a negative effect on the animals. In the US check dolphin SMART which encourages responsible viewing of wild cetaceans x.

2. Stay a minimum of 50m away from dolphins and porpoises, 100m for whales and 200m for feeding animals, mothers and calves and animals in transit.

3. Never ever interrupt the animals direction of travel.

4. If a wild cetacean approaches you, remain calm and move away slowly to the recommended distance. 

5. Try land-based whale watching.

Species: Pygmy killer whale (Feresa attenuata)

Physical appearance: An average sized dolphin with very active, lively tendencies, with dark gray to black coloring and a long, pointed dorsal fin. Flippers are also pointed, and they have a distinct white coloring around their lips. It bears some resemblance to the killer whale Orcinus orca, hence the name, though it’s not closely related.

Habitat: Generally found in tropical and sub-tropical oceans, usually staying in deep, open waters.

Conservation status: Data Deficient

Threats: This species is sometimes killed in driftnets and occasionally drive hunts, though not in as large numbers as other small cetacean species. They are likely threatened by overfishing and marine pollution.

Socialization: They are typically seen in groups of 10 or more. Because this species is poorly studied, not much is known about their interactions. They are often described as being aggressive to other dolphin species, indeed, many feel that they deserve the “killer whale” name more than the orca does. A couple of pygmy killer whales taken into captivity even killed other dolphins that shared a tank with them, and behaved aggressively toward trainers.

Predators and prey: The pygmy killer whale feeds on squid, octopus, and large fish. It’s been speculated that they may eat other dolphins that they attack. Due to their aggressive nature, they may not have many predators, though great white sharks and orcas could prey on them.

Relationships with humans: This species generally avoids humans, though will occasionally bowride. A few are sometimes intentionally killed for food, though they’ve never been hunted on a large scale.

Image 1 source

Someone found some photos of Keiko that I've never seen before. He was such a sweetheart and I'm so glad he got his freedom after all that he went through.