dave the dolphin!!

[bubblerings]

You can remove those long defensive comments from 4 years ago...

No harm was done... no motor.

[coochi6]

Awesome! I never got to see him/her with my own eyes. It's cool to see on here. Thanks for uploading!

[marilynnblock]

Dolphins and whales are the most advanced race on the planet. Their abilities are so multi-dimentional, few humans can comprehend their level of unconditional love. We just don't speak their language and operate on a much denser vibration.

[mumblearts2]

They wouldn't have found it so funny if Dave had turned nasty and taken their heads off. Everyone was warned this type of behaviour would have ended in Dave's demise, all they have succeeded in doing is killing him now, hope they are happy!

[parsnipsboi]

its fuckin hge when it comes near you ...i kyaked with her/him.and touched her ..lol

[ScrubsRAWR]

DAVINA (Yesh Thats HER Name)!!!!

Looks Scary.x

IM SCARED OF DAVINA, LOOKS A BIT CLOSE.

YEHH DAVINA OWNAGE.X.X :)

Your freaky freak.x.

[folkestonegal]

folkstone and the people in it rule i recomend everybody vists!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ziljian10]

dolphins used to live on land!!dave just wants back

[thecheezkings]

lol, the simpsons.

[Flannagorn]

Enough banter, for anyone lucky enough to have 'met' this dolphin (or any other for that matter) it is a unique and beautiful experience that will always be specaial. End of Story.

[sg2790]

dolphins are the second smartest mammal in tha wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo­ooooooooooooorl.

[DJDay1945]

3) Saying that rowing boats couldn't get near them, as it is obviously very possible with these friendly dolphins (SSDs)like Dave, who often come towards us. Even normal wild dolphins will bow ride small boats, so are in close range for abuse. One must try to avoid hitting them with the oars, especially not to poke them in the eyes, or to hit their heads. Poking in the eyes is probably the major cause of them getting aggressive towards oars.

[DJDay1945]

In my multiple posting of 3 weeks I made 3 bad errors 1) saying that dolphins were 'thick skinned', as they are indeed thin skinned but have a thick blubber (fat) layer below that. 2) I lumped 'Jet' and 'Marra' together, but don't know about 'Jet', only 'Marra'. Continued below:

[umug1]

i hope we get a great white shark next. That would be very interesting.Hopefully people will think its dave and get thier faces ripped off ha ha

[sinrize]

dolphins traditionally had the sea to themselves, as the marine recreation sector has expanded and fish stocks have decreased their behaviour has been forcibly changed in order to adapt.

dolphins like socialising with people but we are the ones who caused the imbalance and we owe them duty of care to avoid and minimise our contact with them.

ergo.. leave all sea creatures alone whether they approach you or not unless you have an in-depth understanding of your affect on their environment.

[saddamsalaugh]

Dave has said through a press conference "I hate chavs please leave me alone"

[DJDay1945]

3)I'm afraid a lot of what 'the experts' are saying is just not true. I believe this could just be that these dolphins are a 'nuisance', as they take up their time. (although they have got valuable PR from the media exposure) Maybe what is driving this misinformation campaign is the authorities worrying about being blamed for any accidents, but these are few and far between, and I think could mostly be prevented if proper advice was given. The end!

[DJDay1945]

2)It's law not to disturb dolphins. So always let the dolphins come to you, don't chase after them. They need their own space in order to sleep, eat and hopefully interact with their own kind. TBC

[DJDay1945]

The lessons to be learnt from this are: 1)Dolphins are exceedingly strong animals, and could kill you in a blink of an eyelid. If you grab hold of them you take the consequences. There have been a number of broken bones from these encounters, when people have done silly things. It is truly amazing that they 'turn down' their strength completely in their interactions with us. I have seen people ignore warnings from the dolphin 3 times, who then hit them, but they weren't even bruised. TBC

[DJDay1945]

1)I don't think their sleeping and eating patterns have been changed. Play yes, as they want to play with us. But remember to let the dolphin 'call the tune' and come to us and not chase him. 2)When Lucy H12 says dolphins are 'thin skinned', that is incorrect. You could probably break an oar over their bodies without even bruising them. They hit each other in play with such force, that it could easily break our bones, and could (and has on one occasion) kill us. TBC

[DJDay1945]

3) Answering Phocoena, there is no proof that the friendly (solitary social dolphins or SSDs) Jet and Marra died as a result of associating with people. The WDCS claimed this on their web site, but that was BEFORE the cause of death had been established! I am afraid it is true that associating with humans is likely to shorten their lives, but we don't know what would have happened had they not befriended humans and: TBC

[DJDay1945]

I would like to correct some comments: 1)You can't fine people for this. By putting pressure on the police to follow the bad advice of the 'experts', you put them in a difficult position. 2)BDMLR are a rescue organistion. They are advised by experts, scientists with the WDCS and elsewhere. The BDMLR 'Medics'(a very misleading term) have a few hours training with a rubber/plastic imitation cetacean in a one day course, and are mostly divers who want to help stranded cetaceans.

TBC

[DJDay1945]

As someone with 35 years experience with wild cetaceans, the last 4 of these looking at these friendly or solitary sociable dolphins, there is NO WAY that people in rowing boats can molest a healthy wild dolphin. The whole point is, as a few sensible folk have commented, that it is the dolphin who is 'molesting' the people. For reasons still unknown, the occasional dolphin leaves their social group to be with people, at least for some of the time. Continued:

[priphe]

fnx all u guys hu r stikin up 4 us!!:D but de rest of u r idiots-i luv dolphins n dat woz de best experience of my life-same 4 de rest of us. I just think ur jelous!! i dont care wot u say!! also fnx imalosersowhat-dat is excactly right!!

[priphe]

oi, u majorluke twice-dats my dad ur talkin bowt, u leave him alone!!! u horrible crazy idiot!! it woz my idea in de first place-wen de police came, dey sed dat we cud stay out dere as long as we wanted, as long as we TRIED to stay away from de dolphin-which we did!! no just stop givin us sooo much hassel n leave us b!!!

[Britishblonde245]

this is stupid y do it to him

[ImALoserSoWhat]

i agree with umug he his pathetic knob!

[ImALoserSoWhat]

Regarding MajorLukeTwice, when you were saying about the whale hunting, your right it doesnt happen here, but these people and many more are not trying to kill dave and serve him on a BBQ are they, if they were he would already be dead, they are simply rowing there boats , that means no speed boats and it not like anyone is swimming with him, and anyway its not the childrens fault or the dads fault that dave is there.

[umug1]

majorluketwice,you are possibly the most anoying drip on youtube take up reffing you local scout group or something!!!

[lousaul]

what twats post these comments!dave actuallt enjoys the company of boats..im a rower for folkestone and DAVE coems up to us and tries to follow/race us because he doesnt have any dolphins to race..the boats are the next big thing...the next thing we know you'll be saying 'oh sorry, the rowing club arent allowed to train anymore because it might affect the dolphin'

THe rowing club has been around for years,why should we stop our normal routines when its not doing any harm?

[MajorLukeTwice]

Ctd..

Theres lots of proof interaction can cause death. It happens often. call British Divers Marine Life Rescue if you need proof. Ask about the recent dead porpoise in the same beach as 'Dave',&look at the pics on their site.

[sorrellsour]

What an angry yng man u are - you shld go see the dolphin it can be very calming. Didn't say u blame the kids said u r picking on them which u r. Kids are upset not Dad. Anecdotal evidence & theories are not proof. BDMLR site has vid of woman swimming & body contact w dolphin -- duh! I think U are a well meaning fool -- u need to educate kids to have a life long love - yes & respect for - wildlife not pillory and shame them to the world. Who says I'm not a wildlife expert?

[MajorLukeTwice]

Regarding the comment by the self confessed loser below, check your facts. It IS against the law to harass the dolphin. & regarding the places where people swim with dolphins- using the same logic-In Spain Bullfights are the norm. What about Whale hunting? Just because it happens elsewhere does not make it alright. I dont think the kids here meant any harm - of course not. They are just ignorant of the damage they can cause. The Dad should be prosecuted.

[sorrellsour]

Ima says seeing not harassing If u dogooders believe what u say u wd stop drawing more attention 2 Dave. Wot proof interacting w dolphins cause death - many cetaceans killed by boats mid-ocean far from humans. Stop feeding birds in garden too? Never seen D harassed in many hours watching. Shd canoeists try to scare him off? Stop harassing people kind nuff 2 share gr8 vid - why not pick proper target like local hunt or battery farm.Too scary I guess - kids are easier target espec in cyberspace

[MajorLukeTwice]

Do you have trouble reading? I said below I dont blame the kids- its the idiot Dad ignoring WILDLIFE EXPERTS warnings. Can u read that too? WILDLIFE EXPERTS. Im sure they know more than you on the subject. Drawing attention to Dave is only a problem with selfish idiots about who refuse to leave him in peace,admire him from land.

[MajorLukeTwice]

To the idiot Dad. I genuinely feel sorry for your kids for the stick they must be getting since the press interest in this video. I hope you can sleep at night knowing that it is your ignorance that has caused this. The bullshit about the dolphin following you - I live in Folkestone and have NEVER seen that many boats and canoes in the same area at once.. you ALL 'just happened' to be there did you? Right.

[umug1]

cock

[ImALoserSoWhat]

Saying they should get lock up is just crazy and nasty, the person who put this video on here did not expect to get all this abuse and nasty comments, its not against the law to see an dolphin, what about the places where you can swim with them!!!! And people make them preform tricks so tell me thats not making the too humanised!!!!!

[phocoenaphocoena]

Again, it may not seem like your doing any harm BUT interacting with wild animals will and does affect them. Marra, Jet and Luna were all solitary dolphins like Dave - they ALL died in 2006. two from prop injuries and one from blood poisoning - maybe due to continual cuts/injuries in polluted inshore water. Save Dave and stay away!!!!!!!!!

[ImALoserSoWhat]

they were advised by the police the police were there so if they were causing a serious offence they would have made them get out there boats and get out the water, one the day the video was there

[ImALoserSoWhat]

In the real world dolphins are always encountering humans and boats, this is just natural its not like there was a sharp propella on it unlike the jet skiis and speed boats these people were careful, when dave was coming up they took the paddle out the water so whats the harm going to see it, its like a one in a life time opportunity! if there was a dolphin in your local area which has never been there before you would want to go and see for yourself!!!

[LucyH12]

yes, we are curious and have the right to be! you dont even know how much this could actually harm Dave!

[LucyH12]

tht was to the person who was in tht boat btw

[LucyH12]

No it wasnt i saw the oar move! we aint th retarded n my dad belongs 2 the marine animal rescue! dolphins av very thin skin n if it hits the oar its skin could get peeled off!!! n dave cud of killed u bcos wen u sumtymes start rowin bk 2 shore e wud follow u n want 2 play wiv u n e cud push u out 2 sea agen n u cud drown!!! n e has a vry stron tail so if e got annoyed wiv u e cud of wacked u 1!

stupid idiot

[johnsendell1]

cumon chill guys, not like theyre smashing the oars over its head, they r just curious, so stop gettin all pissy about it, i mean if that made the front page of the folkestone newspapers it must be a pretty boring town

[sellsy7]

You make me sick how could u do dis to a harmless animal whats it eva done to u ehhh?

i hope u gt locked up for a while

[SimonLudbrook]

Latest News:

Police are investigating footage posted online apparently showing a dolphin being harassed off the Kent coast.

Lets hope something comes of it.

[SimonLudbrook]

phocoenaphocoena you have got it right, by taming the dolphin you are putting it in danger.

Next time, it may get too close to the propellers, then what??

Wilsonare, you are just a twat, we dont need to be there, we can see the video.

Doh!

[mgalvan1973]

I don't think the people who took the video meant any harm, although it was ill-advised and certainly won't have done the dolphin any good; but the backlash and attendant witch-hunt have been ridiculous. If people care so much about cruelty to animals, they should think a bit more carefully about the suffering that goes into producing their Big Macs and stop jumping on bandwagons.

[phocoenaphocoena]

You might not have intentionally harmed Dave, but continuing to try getting close to him he will become tame and prone to being hit by props etc. So effectively you're killing him by kindness (or loving him to death). Us humans have to stop being selfish and be content to watch all wild animals from a distance. We don't have the right to get so close, disturbing their sleep, eating, & playing patterns. Watch him from shore but stay out of his way!!

[Wilsonare]

Oh Yeah, Your all causing trouble, Ranting theres no harm, You just want to be so god damn snobby about this well get your head out your arse.

[Wilsonare]

How the heck can you say anything when you were not there? All that on the bbc is a load of twisted shit, So instead of raning at people why don't you fucking listen if you wanna argue Message me, I'm willing to, Instead of spamming a fucking video you arseholes.

[ballsdeepbaby]

the hell? it's a video of some people and a dolphin. there's no torture, torment, abuse, annoyance, or anything even remotely bad in the least going on.

i can't even begin to comprehend the outrage i'm seeing. are you people retarded? shallow? how can this video be spun badly? get a life, you're all crying wolf. there's nothing bad happening here.

[NeilHonky]

im glad someone else feels the same as me.

[yourockmeh]

We did not tap him. We weren't even rowing when that clip was taken. The ore was still. Dave came up and hit it himself. So please stop being mean to me about it. We were not in ANY way harming him, but its not like your going to believe that. I love dolphins, they are my favourite animal, so please, just stop saying I done something wrong. I simply took the video in memory of the moment that we was out to see dave, since I'm a big fan of dolphins and haven't seen one before in real life.

[SimonLudbrook]

I'd like to give you a tap with that ore, see how you like it.

[NeilHonky]

did he even do that? i dunno what you where watching.

[SimonLudbrook]

You went out to see him, therefore, thick twat,

its your fault.

Leave well alone, they are a wild animal.

[yourockmeh]

"you should not be approaching the dolphin as it will be the death of him to become used to humans."

We were not 'approaching' him. He came to us. And I'm sure one small tap of an ore will not kill him?

[ilfaychaud]

would you like a tap with an oar, -also be careful not be abusive to me in your post as i am not a helpless dolphin- i will come and knock fuck out of any one being cruel

[NeilHonky]

yeah dolphins are well known to be friendly. people are such idiots making a shit load out of nothing. god i hate the news.

[yourockmeh]

The dolphin was following us, we were not following it. There were people swimming with him when we were out there. I don't see anything wrong with it. He doesn't belong to anyone?? No one owns him?? Please, leave it out.

[LucyH12]

If its following you that means it want to play with u...and that iz very dangerous because when you want to get back to shore it would/could push you out to sea again, and you could probably drown! you were lucky dave didnt do that!

[SimonLudbrook]

Whoever is responsible for harassing this dolphin are sick bastards.

The courts wont do anything, except give them a measly fine.

They should be sorted out, with those oars...

[NeilHonky]

right, i just saw this on the news.

i see nothing wrong with this??

i mean we saw people swimming with wild dolphins on castaway , so we cant have boats next to dolphins??

riiiight

[phocoenaphocoena]

A pod of dolphins travelling long distances and who don't stay in one specific area are different from Dave, who currently has a very small home range. With summer coming I'm really worried for Dave. If people continue to try to get close to him, one thing is certain, this dolphin WILL get injured or even killed!

[MajorLukeTwice]

This is really irresponsible. You could and should be fined under the wildlife & countryside act for this - you should not be approaching the dolphin as it will be the death of him to become used to humans. 2 porpoises died in folkestone last year alone due to propellor injuries - ok so you were not on a motor boat but your negligence could lead to his death as he loses his natural fear of humans.

[phocoenaphocoena]

I agree. Reasons why dolphins end up on their own is still not fully understood. One thing is certain,the more human contact they recieve the more they lose their natural caution, making them extremely vulnerable to injury or death. Last year two dolphins died as a result of being petted and tamed by people: Jet (Portsmouth, Feb 06) and Marra (Cumbria, Dec 06). Do you want the same to happen to dave? Let them live wild, keep them safe and just watch him from the shore!! Please!