Colleague Karen Munro, a resident of Scrabster in the north of Scotland had a pleasant surprise recently when she spotted some dolphins close to her home. After capturing several images of the dolphins, it was later confirmed that the majority of the animals belonged to the Moray Firth bottlenose dolphin population – usually sighted approx 110 miles away! Within the pod were male Mischief and also female Spirtle who, in 2016, was rescued after being discovered by chance on mud flats in Niggs Bay with horrific sunburn injuries. Thankfully three years later she has recovered and her wound totally healed.
It is widely known that wild dolphins can cover great distances every day in their natural habitat, and this latest news about the extent of travel undertaken by the Moray Firth dolphins clearly highlights why free-ranging marine mammals such as dolphins and whales, do not belong in captivity. A life of confinement in a tank bears no resemblance to their life in the wild, which is why Marine Connection will continue its campaigns to end the keeping of all cetaceans in captivity.
