Four swimmers have sustained injuries in dolphin attacks at Suishohama beach in Mihama, Fukui prefecture, central Japan. The incidents occurred on Sunday, with one man in his 60s suffering broken ribs and hand bites after being rammed by a dolphin a few meters from the shore. Another man in his 40s sustained arm bites in a separate incident on the same morning, and two additional individuals were injured later in the day.
Local authorities in Fukui have reported a total of six dolphin attacks this year, prompting them to erect signs warning swimmers to avoid approaching or touching the mammals. While dolphins are typically not aggressive toward humans, instances of hostility towards swimmers have been documented before.
Scientists suggest that wild bottlenose dolphins may find swimming alongside humans to be highly stressful, disrupting their normal behavioural routines. Instances of dolphin aggression towards humans have been reported in other parts of the world as well. In 2013, two women in the Republic of Ireland were injured within a ten-day period by the same dolphin, with one suffering a broken rib. In a separate incident a year later, five swimmers had to be rescued off the Irish coast when a dolphin exhibited aggressive behaviour towards them.
Moreover, aside from hostility towards humans, dolphins have been observed engaging in violent behaviour towards other sea creatures. In Cornwall, England, a bottlenose dolphin was witnessed flipping a porpoise into the air during an aggressive attack.
Authorities in Fukui are monitoring the situation closely and advising beachgoers to exercise caution while swimming.
