The Dusky Dolphin, a frequent visitor to the Argentinean Patagonia, is the most remarkable when it comes to leaping. By propelling its body several meters out of the water, it performs incredible maneuvers, spinning around or making multiple aerial rotations before crashing back onto the water’s surface. It is incomprehensible, therefore, that these dolphins, like any others, cannot escape when they become trapped in floating fishing nets. It is believed that dolphins associate these leaps with playfulness and good humor, which is why they may not perceive them as a means of escape.
Typically, these beautiful animals are seen in groups of 5 to 25 individuals, occasionally in larger groups of up to 100 individuals. In the province of Chubut, there have been sightings of herds of 300 dolphins navigating together. When one of them performs a leap out of the water, it seems to inspire the others to start leaping as well.
In early 1999, the Argentine-flagged fishing vessel «Mar Salvaje,» based in the city of Mar del Plata, was illegally fishing in the hake exclusion zone. They accidentally captured fifty dusky dolphins, which they claimed as «incidental catch.» Sadly, these dolphins died on the ship’s deck without the crew, who were of Russian origin, making any attempt to return them to the sea while they were still alive.
«You cannot defend what you do not love, and you cannot love what you do not know.»