Supersmart dolphins chomping down on stupid humans
A diverting bit of news of humans being attacked by dolphins.
In Florida, people are being warned that dolphins are mean and bite people.
Well, duh, animals bite:
Marine researchers are warning about a growing number of dolphin bite cases in Sarasota County, according to a Local 6 News report.
Florida experts said wild dolphins are becoming more aggressive because boaters are feeding them.
"It seems reasonable to understand why you wouldn't feed a bear or something more dangerous-appearing, but these are wild animals," dolphin researcher Jason Allen said. "They are wild animals with lots of sharp teeth."
Officials said a dolphin bit a woman from Lakeland earlier this month when she tried to pet it.
It is illegal to feed, harass, swim with or follow wild dolphins. Violators face misdemeanor charges for committing the crimes.
I've never understood the way people attribute qualities of kindness and such to dolphins, carnivores extraordinare. I blame Flipper, of course, for some of that. But then that was over 40 years ago. You'd think that would have worn off by now.
I suppose the real culprits are the aquarium folks who train captive dolphins to do tricks, and biologists and environmentalists who seem determined to prove dolphins are on par with humans in terms of intelligence. After a while, you start to believe that dolphins are so smart that they want to jump through hoops.
OK, that makes no sense. But then this love affair with dolphins has never made sense to me. What is cuddly about the mammalian version of a shark?
If people simply understood just how many people have been killed by dolphins. Killed by dolphins? Sure. You've heard the documented stories about people far from shore and in danger of drowning being pushed to land and safety by a kind dolphin. That's the half that got lucky when the dolphin randomly decided to push the swimmer towards shore. The half that got randomly pushed out to sea, well, they don't make the news.
Leave these beasties alone. Let them chase their fish and if you like, you can imagine that an animal who spends all its time hunting for its next meal, the same way a shark or a piranha is always hunting, is some sort of supergenius of the sea. But do that from the safety of shore. Get too close, and one of these gentle geniuses might just decide to see if the sharks are right and humans do taste like tuna**.
**Tuna being the chicken of the sea, of course. Ba-dum-dum.
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Comments
Stupid humans is right. Between Disney humanizing animals and water parks making dolphins LOOKING like pets, no wonder people get bit. Just think, a couple more Nemo movies and people will think Bruce, the great white shark is pet material.
Posted by: Dave at June 22, 2007 09:58 AM
...oh no! You mean I gotta throw out my pet Great White?
Well he is getting too big for the toilet bowl anyway...
Posted by: tomax7 at June 22, 2007 11:25 AM
Some folks just love hanging out with wild animals. They don't believe it when we tell them that the anmials are actually really WILD and dangerous. Every year, hordes of Germans and other well-meaning simpletons come to visit with the bears. They even make movies about what happens:
http://www.blogto.com/film/2005/10/grizzly_man_herzogs_predatorprey/
Posted by: Layon de Lumber at June 22, 2007 01:01 PM
Things like this always blows my mind, no matter how many times I hear it. People just love to humanize animals.
The relationship of dolphins to sharks is like lions to hyenas. They go out of their way to kill each others. Unlike lions and hyenas, though, it's not as level a playing field. Sharks loose to dolphins pretty much every time, since sharks tend to be loners. If a pod of dolphins find a shark, they hunt it down and tear it to shreds.
Yeah, that's Flipper all right.
Posted by: Kunoichi at June 22, 2007 01:46 PM
Personally, I think the dolphins figured out that we've gotten soft (and hence a potential food source) ever since the "dolphin friendly Tuna" craze. ;)
Posted by: Paul M at June 22, 2007 03:09 PM
Must be the global warmin'!
Posted by: at June 22, 2007 03:34 PM
...let's start a "Save Bruce" campaign!
Where do I go for funding?
Posted by: tomax7 at June 22, 2007 05:18 PM
Dolphins biting people? I went to a Miami Dolphins game a couple years back. I could have sworn I saw Jason Taylor bite Patriot's QB Tom Brady, but that could have been my glasses being fogged up from the heat.
Anyway, I would consider it an honor and a privilege if you would add my blog "The Tygrrrr Express" www.blacktygrrrr.wordpress.com to your list of linked sites if you feel the quality is high. I read your blog after clicking on Michelle Malkin's site, since I enjoy her writing.
Happy Summer, and forgive me in advance if my request was redundant.
eric
Posted by: eric at June 22, 2007 07:38 PM
...eric
- pay the man.
Posted by: tomax7 at June 22, 2007 07:41 PM
When I worked in the B.C. Forest Service back in the 70's and 80's, we were constantly running into hikers, from big cities here, the US, and Europe, who KNEW that bears were no trouble at all, as long as they could hear you walking. Many carried a cowbell attached to their backpacks.
I spent about 25 years living and working in the forests of Canada, and my advice was always ignored, after all, what did I know that some "expert" who visited occasionally, didn't.
One expert I ran into, in the bush near Prince George, carrying the required cowbell, was studying the spawning salmon in the nearby streams. He scoffed at us, F.S.Timber cruisers, because one guy in the party always carried a high powered rifle. He said that a bear would never attack if he had warning you were coming.
When I related this story to an old Native guide in the area, he laughed and said, " it's a good idea carrying that bell. Makes it easier for the bear to find him".
Posted by: dmorris at June 23, 2007 05:11 PM
dmorris,
That's how you can tell grizzly bear scat from black bear scat:
Grizzly scat has little bells in it...
Picture two obviously well-fed grizzlies sitting around laughing:
"And then he screams 'But I'm a vegetarian !" ...like we care..."
Posted by: up north at June 24, 2007 10:51 PM
 
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