In 1994, Tião dolphins, which often interact with humans, attacked beachgoers in Brazil and left one victim dead.
Dolphins look as if they are always smiling with their long, toothy snouts, but don’t be fooled, they are still the ocean’s top predators. For this reason and many others, it is important to keep your distance when encountering dolphins in the wild. The world has recorded cases of them attacking humans, even in a rare case, such an attack caused the victim to lose his life.
The dolphin in the above incident is named Tião, famous in 1994 for his curiosity and unusual comfort when interacting with people. It regularly interacts with people and visits the dock in São Sebastião, Brazil, almost daily.
However, some swimmers appear to have abused Tião’s trust in humans. According to a report from BBCthey grabbed its fins and tried to ride it, even trying to stick an ice cream stick into the blowhole. Finally, it seemed Tião’s patience was running out.
“The dolphin reacted violently when being continuously harassed and injured about 29 swimmers. They were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. On December 8, 1994, Tião attacked a 30-year-old swimmer , this person died a few hours later due to internal bleeding due to a perforated stomach, according to the local hospital Casa de Saúde Stella Maris,” Marcos Cesar De O. Santos, an expert at the University of São Paulo, said in the study. announced in the magazine Marine Mammal Science year 1997.
Theo Los Angeles Timesanother swimmer was also injured at the time. This person is believed to have been among the group that tried to ride Tião and attached objects to its tail shortly before the incident.
The incident prompted authorities to implement a management program to prevent further casualties by raising public awareness of harmful interactions, which have serious consequences for both humans and wildlife. wild. The program proved effective as no further injuries were reported. In 1995, Tião also left São Sebastião and no one has ever seen the animal again.
Tião belongs to the group of bottlenose dolphins – aquatic mammals of the genus Tursiops. They are distributed in most tropical and warm temperate seas, adapting to many marine and estuarine habitats. Their main food is fish, in addition to squid, shrimp, and mollusks. Bottlenose dolphins are also considered intelligent. They have large brains and many complex emotions, such as grief.
Dolphin attacks are not uncommon and have been recorded in many different species, from bottlenose dolphins like Tião to the unique pink river dolphins that live in freshwater environments in South America. Strangely, killer whales, the largest species in the oceanic dolphin family, seem to be among the species that rarely attack humans and rarely interact with humans in the wild.
Animals that humans perceive as happy and gentle may also exhibit defensive or aggressive behavior when humans get too close. If ethics and a sense of self-protection are not enough to prevent people from harassing wild animals, the authorities still impose heavy fines.