This summer, instead of sharks, orcas have been causing trouble and assaulting boats. The BBC reports that a dolphin, another marine mammal known for its gentle nature, recently attacked a man in his 60s who was swimming off a beach in Japan, biting his hands and smashing his ribs.
A man in his forties was one of three people attacked by dolphins on the same Japanese beach; he was bitten on the arm.
Given the legendary place dolphins hold in the human psyche, anyone who is taken by surprise by reports of dolphin attacks is clearly not paying attention. While attacks by dolphins on people are extremely rare, the BBC did compile a short list of cases where a dolphin attacked and mauled a human or another animal.
Are you kidding me?
While this peculiar dolphin conduct may be more serious, experts believe that orca attacks on boats are the work of juveniles who are bored while waiting for their parents to return with food and toy with boat rudders as a distraction. Are they outraged by our long record of mistreating their kind, which includes riding them for amusement, subjecting them to horrible noises from oil drilling and military operations, engaging in bizarre interspecies sexual encounters, and even mass slaughtering?
As reported by NOAA Fisheries
"Dolphins have a reputation for being friendly, but they are actually wild animals who should be treated with caution and respect," the agency said.
