Dolphin in the river

Italian colleagues from Natural Reserve Miramare notified us of a dolphin that entered the river Corno, near Grado in Italy. We responded to the call to assess the situation and observe the animal. The animal is an adult common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). This species can occasionally be found in rivers. The dolphins usually swim back to sea on their own, so we hope this to be one of such cases. The dolphin is partially emaciated, but otherwise swims normally and appears quite curious. It also appears to be feeding in the river. We made a recommendation to our Italian colleagues that the animal is monitored, but not to try to force the dolphin back to sea. Such attempts are often unsuccessful, while any additional disturbance can cause additional stress to the animal, especially if the causes for its presence in the river are not known. It is also important for the public not to try to feed the animal, as this usually only makes matters worse. We will keep monitoring the situation together with our Italian colleagues.

More photos can be found at Latest dolphin sightings.

Delfin v reki

Italijanski kolegi iz Naravnega rezervata Miramare so nas obvestili, da je v reko Corno pri Gradežu zaplaval delfin. Klicu smo se odzvali, delfina dalj časa opazovali ter ocenili situacijo. Ugotovili smo, da gre za odraslega delfina vrste velika pliskavka (Tursiops truncatus). Ta vrsta se občasno pojavlja tudi v rekah. Ponavadi reko zapustijo sami in se vrnejo nazaj v morje, zato upamo, da bo tudi tokrat tako. Delfin je sicer deloma podhranjen, vendar se giblje normalno in je precej radoveden. Videti je tudi, da se v reki prehranjuje. Italijanskim kolegom smo svetovali, da se delfina sicer opazuje, a da se ga ne nadleguje ali poskuša na silo pregnati nazaj v morje. Tovrstni poskusi so pogosto neuspešni, kakršnokoli vznemirjanje pa lahko povzroči le dodatni stres za delfina, še posebej če ne poznamo natančnih vzrokov za njegovo prisotnost v reki. Prav tako je pomembno, da se delfina ne skuša hraniti, saj to ponavadi zadeve le poslabša. V sodelovanju z italijanskimi kolegi bomo situacijo še naprej spremljali. 

Več fotografij si lahko ogledate na povezavi Zadnja opažanja delfinov.

Summer Research Camps

Morigenos Summer Research Camps will begin soon. You can still join us and gain first hand experience in the research and conservation of dolphins and marine turtles. Support Slovenian Dolphin Project and help with the collection of data and various aspects of the fieldwork. Observe dolphins, marine turtles and marine birds in their natural environment and meet people from other parts of the world. No special skills are required; all you need is good will and enthusiasm. 

We look forward to meeting you!

Poletni raziskovalni tabori

Poletni raziskovalni tabori z delfini se bodo kmalu pričeli. Še vedno se nam lahko pridružite in pridobite izkušnje iz prve roke o raziskovanju in zaščiti delfinov in morskih želv. Podprite Slovenski projekt za delfine in pomagajte pri zbiranju podatkov in terenskem delu. Opazujte delfine, morske želve in morske ptice v njihovem naravnem okolju ter spoznajte ljudi iz različnih delov sveta. Ne potrebujete nobenih posebnih znanj ali spretnosti, le zanimanje in dobro voljo. 

Veselimo se srečanja z vami!

Georgios and Armani

In early May, we encountered two previously unknown dolphins in Piran Bay. They spent most of their time feeding, but they also came to swim under our boat a few times. We called them Georgios and Armani. Yesterday we saw them again, this time off Devin (Duino), where they were happily chasing fish and having a bit of fun. They appeared in a good mood and did not mind our presence, as they approached the boat on several occasions. Because they spent most of their time in the same location, we were able to leave the engine turned off most of the time, in order not to produce unnecessary noise. During the encounter, we carefully recorded the duration of each dive and thus obtained three hours of detailed data on their behaviour. There were many small boats in the area and several people stopped to observe the dolphins. We were very glad to see that everyone behaved in a very responsible and respectful manner. They stopped the boats, turned off their engines and observed the animals from a distance. Nobody attempted to aggressively approach the dolphins. When they had enough, they slowly retreated from the area. This allowed dolphins to hunt without disturbance. Even though maritime traffic is a big problem for dolphins, appropriate behaviour can make our waters a nicer place for them. If you spot dolphins in these waters, please call us at +386 31 77 10 77!

A few photos of yesterday's encounter can be found at Latest dolphin sightings.

Georgios in Armani

V mesecu maju smo v Piranskem zalivu spoznali dva delfina, ki ju prej nismo poznali. Takrat sta se predvsem prehranjevala, nekajkrat pa sta prišla plavat pod naš čoln. Poimenovali smo ju Georgios in Armani. Včeraj smo ju znova srečali, tokrat pri Devinu, kjer sta veselo lovila ribe in se zabavala. Bila sta zelo dobre volje, naša družba pa ju ni motila, saj sta se večkrat sama približala čolnu. Ker sta se zadrževala bolj ali manj na isti lokaciji, smo lahko imeli čoln večino časa ugasnjen, da ne bi povzročali nepotrebnega hrupa. Med opazovanjem smo natančno zabeležili dolžine vseh njunih potopov in tako pridobili tri ure natančnih podatkov o njunem vedenju. Na območju je bilo veliko manjših plovil in marsikdo se je ustavil, da bi delfina opazoval. Na naše veliko veselje so se prav vsi ljudje obnašali zelo odgovorno in spoštljivo. Plovila so ustavili, motorje ugasnili in živali opazovali z razdalje. Nihče se ni skušal približati na silo. Ko so se naveličali, so se počasi umaknili z območja. Delfina sta lahko tako nemoteno lovila ribe, brez da bi ju kdorkoli vznemirjal. Čeprav je lahko pomorski promet za delfine velik problem, lahko s primernim vedenjem omogočimo delfinom prijaznejše okolje. Če na morju opazite delfine, nam to sporočite na 031 77 10 77!

Nekaj fotografij včerajšnjega opažanja si lahko ogledate na povezavi Zadnja opažanja delfinov.