A number of people have contacted us to enquire about Dony the dolphin since we last reported on his whereabouts at Christmas. Unfortunately we have no confirmed sightings to announce. However it is likely that he is still in the area of the Rhine/ Schelde delta in the Low Countries. A dolphin answering to Dony’s general behaviour pattern was indeed seen on 18th February in the River Schelde, near to Antwerp in Belgium, where port authorities delayed the opening of the Zandvliet sluice gates to discourage the dolphin from entering the docks. This was reported on local radio but unfortunately it seems that no photos were taken and our contacts in Belgium and Holland have been unable to identify any eye witnesses to this sighting.
Our experience has been that it is unwise automatically to accept reports in the general media as authentic. Other reports we have received suggest that a common dolphin which has also been in residence in the Western Schelde estuary for the last couple of years, and which has previously been confused with Dony, may recently have moved further east towards Antwerp. Without photographs or eye witness reports from identified and experienced observers it is impossible for us to make a judgment on this.
If you hear any more, let us know!
Graham Timmins
|
