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At Porpoise Bay in the Catlins a group of around 40 Hector’s dolphins spend the summer here, feeding, socialising and having their babies.
The dolphins are in the bay most days through summer, easily accessible from the beach. They’ve become one of the worst-kept secrets on the international backpacker circuit.
The main worry is that excited tourists will affect mother dolphins trying to nurse their babies.
While most tourists are well behaved, says DOC senior ranger Ros Cole, there is the odd person that gets a little too eager for a Free Willy moment. “What we’re seeing is people trying to touch dolphins and things like that. We prefer if the dolphins want to interact with people that they do it on their own terms rather than people pushing themselves into the dolphin space.”
Shot on assignment for New Zealand Geographic Issue: 183 September / October 2023.
Read the Feature: https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/the-special-case-of-our-smallest-dolphins/
Photograph Richard Robinson © 2023.
Rights managed image. No Reproduction without prior written permission.
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Richard Robinson © 2023. No Reproduction without prior written permission.
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THE SPECIAL CASE OF OUR SMALLEST DOLPHINS
At Porpoise Bay in the Catlins a group of around 40 Hector’s dolphins spend the summer here, feeding, socialising and having their babies.<br /> The dolphins are in the bay most days through summer, easily accessible from the beach. They’ve become one of the worst-kept secrets on the international backpacker circuit.<br /> The main worry is that excited tourists will affect mother dolphins trying to nurse their babies.<br /> While most tourists are well behaved, says DOC senior ranger Ros Cole, there is the odd person that gets a little too eager for a Free Willy moment. “What we’re seeing is people trying to touch dolphins and things like that. We prefer if the dolphins want to interact with people that they do it on their own terms rather than people pushing themselves into the dolphin space.”<br /> Shot on assignment for New Zealand Geographic Issue: 183 September / October 2023.<br /> Read the Feature: https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/the-special-case-of-our-smallest-dolphins/<br /> Photograph Richard Robinson © 2023.<br /> Rights managed image. No Reproduction without prior written permission.