The lovelorn dolphin, nicknamed "Zafar," has been harassing swimmers and divers to the point where he's been labeled a serious predator.
Valery Hache/AFP/Getty ImagesA dolphin jumps in the Mediterranean sea, not far from Zafar’s beach.
A sexually frustrated dolphin won’t stop harassing swimmers in western France and has forced the shutdown of a local beach entirely.
Nicknamed “Zafar” by locals, the bottlenose dolphin has been hanging around the waters of the Bay of Brest for the past couple of months and has subsequently become a tourist attraction.
Zafar was known to playfully swim alongside people in the area and to even let them hold onto his dorsal fin.
But Zafar’s behavior turned much more intimate, and in many cases, dangerous, over time. He began aggressively rubbing up on swimmers and boats, lifted one woman with his nose, and prevented yet another from returning to shore, BBC reports. Though that swimmer had to be rescued, she was fortunately not seriously harmed.
Wikimedia CommonsThe Bay of Brest.
According to a report by a marine expert for the Telegraph, Zafar “is in heat,” and therefore looking for companionship from unsuspecting bathers.
Although no swimmers have been seriously hurt by Zafar thus far, authorities are worried that he could if his behavior were to worsen. This prompted one French mayor to shut down the beaches in his town.
Mayor Roger Lars, the mayor of Landévennec, issued a law that bans getting within 50 meters (164 feet) of Zafar when in the water, as well as swimming or diving when Zafar’s presence is confirmed, in order to “to protect people’s security.”
Valery Hache/AFP/Getty ImagesA bottlenose dolphin jumps in the Mediterranean sea, Jun. 11, 2018.
An excited dolphin can be dangerous to humans in some cases. For instance, back in 2012, Cayman Island-based scuba diver Michael Maes was able to capture an aroused dolphin that he nicknamed “stinky the Loner Dolphin” attempting to push both him and a fellow scuba diver to the ground— with randy intentions.
Although the viral video is quite entertaining, Maes warned people to not make contact with the creature as he could become more aggressive. He warned viewers that,
“if you encounter a lonely Dolphin like ‘Stinky’, do not get into the water. If you are in the water, leave as soon and safe as possible… If the Dolphin decides to use you as a (sex) toy, you don’t stand a chance. These are animals with 500 pound of pure muscle!”
There have also been instances of humans having sex with dolphins on purpose, and perhaps the most famous case is that of Margaret Howe Lovatt’s who engaged in intercourse with Peter the dolphin back in the 1960s for science.
Lovatt reported that the sexually maturing dolphin was said to “rub himself on my knee, my foot or my hand” when he became aroused. She allowed Peter to continue his behavior, saying that “It was sexual on his part, it was not sexual on mine — sensual perhaps.”
So while Zafar’s promiscuous behavior is not unprecedented, he could use a lesson in consent.
Next, read this story about three men that were arrested on over 1,400 counts of bestiality. Then, check out this video of a eyewitness account of what bestiality looks like.
