Tourists are harassing dolphins in South Carolina and posting antics online, expert says

Incriminating evidence is appearing on social media of tourists harassing the “resident” dolphins that live along South Carolina’s beaches, an expert says.

This includes not only teasing the dolphins, but trying to jump on them to get selfies, the Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network told McClatchy News this week.

The network shared a photo Saturday on Facebook of one such incident: A man is seen in the photo on all fours, inches from dolphins engaged in a well-documented ritual known as strand feeding. The dolphins create a “surge wave” by swimming at the beach, then jump from the water and eat fish stranded on the sand by the wave, experts say.

“This man was catching the fish as the dolphins pushed them ashore and was trying to tease the dolphins and hand it back,” Lauren Rust, founder of the Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network, told McClatchy News.

“As you can see in this photo, the man was practically on top of the dolphin as it fed. ... People are typically trying to get up close and personal to get photos/videos of this behavior. There are sometimes interactions, like in the (photo), or people yelling, whistling splashing the water to get the dolphins attention.”

South Carolina is known around the world as a rare spot where strand feeding occurs in plain sight of tourists, according to a 2015 study published on Researchgate.net. The “predatory strategy was first observed in bottle nose dolphins inhabiting waters of ... marshes off South Carolina and Georgia,” the study says.

Feeding dolphins is illegal in South Carolina and can result in fines up to $100,000, Rust says. Still, her nonprofit has documented seven instances in recent months of people violating the law, including “kayakers chasing them to feed them cereal,” she told McClatchy News.

It’s recommended people stay 45 feet from dolphins, though there is no regulation setting a distance for viewing, she said. South Carolina’s southern coast is home to about 350 “resident” dolphins and the Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network is a nonprofit “dedicated to increasing awareness and education” of the species.

“There are a couple YouTube videos of two incidents where two different men jumped on the dolphins as they fed. But we often see people go right to the water’s edge where they come, or sometimes into the water,” Rust said.

“It’s definitely dangerous. Dolphins are approximately 400 pounds and have 100 sharp teeth. They can also whack someone with their tail. It’s stupid, dangerous and illegal.”

Anyone who sees someone harassing dolphins is asked to call the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources 24-hour wildlife hot line: 1-800-922-5431.

This story was originally published July 28, 2020 at 8:03 AM.