Authorities warn against playing with friendly wild dolphin in this Croatian island

The experts think that there is something strange about the playful marine mammal near Krk

The Blue World Institute, a Croatian NGO working about the conservation of large animals in the Adriatic, has warned swimmers to avoid interaction with a solitary dolphin that has been regularly spotted in the harbours and beaches of the island of Krk. The environmental experts have published information on their website and social media channels explaining why playing with wild dolphins is a risky bet for both humans and animals.

The lone dolphin that has been observed already for a second year in a row in the Kvarner Gulf area in Northern Croatia was reported to let people come close to it and pet it. According to the Blue World Institute, however, the very fact that this marine animal is alone is what makes the whole thing strange and somewhat suspicious.

You see, dolphins are very social animals that tend to live together in pods. The reasons requiring the separation of an animal from his group are usually things like illness or injury of the animal. According to the experts, however, the dolphin in question appears to be healthy, which makes the whole thing rather odd.

Risks of dolphin-human interaction

According to the Blue World Institute, there are a number of potential hazards associated with interactions between wild dolphins and humans despite films portraying these contacts as fun and harmless.

There is a potential risk of harm to the dolphin itself as people can injure it if they get too comfortable with it. Swimmers could start pulling the dolphin’s fins, trying to restrain it in order to ride it or offer the animal food that it is not accustomed to eating. All of these would constitute harassment of a protected species.

Furthermore, there is also a risk to humans, as well.

"Dolphins can transmit many serious and difficult-to-treat diseases to humans," states the organization’s warning. Among other things, dolphins can infect humans with tuberculosis and leptospirosis. Likewise, humans can also infect dolphins.

All of this means that the best thing to do is admire the playful dolphin from afar and take pictures of it if you want some dear memories.