News Dolphins attacking beachgoers in Fukui

[thomas]

Four separate incidents on a beach in Fukui on 16 July echo a string of attacks in the same region last year that a single Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin may have perpetrated.

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This is the second year in a row that dolphins have injured humans at Fukui prefecture beaches on the Sea of Japan coast. Last summer, at least six people were bitten by a single animal — thought to be an Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) — with the most serious case requiring 14 stitches to close a gash at the base of the victim's thumb, according to the Japanese news site The Mainichi. This year and last, dolphins came right up to the water's edge. The man whose ribs splintered had been swimming five metres from the shore at Suishohama Beach when a dolphin rammed and bit him, and local police told the Asahi Shimbun news site in Japan. Another man sustained bites on his left arm the same morning, and the BBC reported that two more beachgoers were attacked later that day, although there are few details about these incidents.

Dolphins terrorize and bite beachgoers in Japan — for the 2nd year in a row

Four separate incidents on a beach in Fukui prefecture on July 16 echo a string of attacks in the same region last year that may have been perpetrated by a single Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin.

www.livescience.com

Swimmers injured in dolphin attacks on Japan beach

One man broke his ribs in what is the sixth such attack in the same region this year.

www.bbc.com

Swimmer left with broken ribs after dolphin attack in Fukui | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

 

[musicisgood]

Its not a good idea to eat sashimi before going into the ocean filled with dolphins.

 

[johnnyG]

And also those recent reports of orcas attacking boats, and that it may be a learned/socially communicated behavior.

 

[Majestic]

The makings of a fascinating sci-fi movie: orcas and dolphins fed up with humans making a mess of the seas, so they begin to develop the ability to communicate with one another as a form of self-preservation (Darwin's survival of those who are best adapted to their surroundings). The species that communicate best and can keep the humans at a distance, become the species that thrive. @johnnyG I like your line of thinking.

 

[thomas]

The series of dolphin attacks continued this year: a surge in dolphin attacks on swimmers in the Japanese town of Mihama has been attributed to a solitary bottlenose dolphin. The dolphin is suspected of being behind 18 incidents this year, including one attack that resulted in a young child requiring extensive medical treatment. Last year, at least six people were injured in similar attacks, with one swimmer sustaining broken ribs. Another incident was reported in 2022.

Tadamichi Morisaka, a cetology professor at Japan's Mie University, said [...] it is reasonable to assume that it is the same individual, as the wounds on the tail fin are similar to those of the dolphins seen off the coast last year, and it is rare for dolphins, which normally move in groups, to be alone for such a long time." He added that male bottlenose dolphins communicate by "play-biting each other". "They are not trying to injure people, but are using the dolphins' way of communication with people," he said. Others have suggested various theories on why the same creature may be behind these attacks - including a desire for sex.

And this would support @johnnyG 's theory above:

Dr Matthias Hoffmann-Kuhnt, a marine mammal expert at the National University of Singapore, said the dolphin could also be acting in its own defence. "Most of the time, in my experience, this is more a defensive behaviour when humans get to close to these dolphins and do not know how to conduct themselves," he said, referring to reports of people trying to ride the animals or sticking their fingers into the dolphins' blowholes. "Thus it is no wonder that the animals then turn aggressive or at least protective against humans in the water," he said.

Japan: Experts suspect lonely dolphin behind rise in attacks

Japan's Fukui prefecture has seen a rise in dolphin attacks for the third straight year.

www.bbc.com

Dolphin attacks on rise in central Japan beaches, 18 injured in 2024

Wild dolphin attacks at beaches in a central Japan prefecture have been on the rise since 2022, with experts suggesting that a sole Indo-Pacific bottlenose may be the culprit and that the aggressive b

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