Endangered Dolphins Swim Alongside Paddleboarders in New Zealand Bay

2 年前

A pod of Hector’s dolphins joined paddleboarders in Te Waewae Bay, New Zealand, recently shared video shows.

Footage by Ross Harvey Trafford shows the dolphins swimming alongside and underneath paddleboarders off the southern coast of New Zealand’s South Island.

New Zealand’s Department of Conservation lists Hector’s dolphins as “nationally vulnerable”, meaning the species faces a high risk of extinction in the medium term, reports said.

There are about 15,000 Hector’s dolphins over the age of one, the department said.

The Department of Conservation has rules about flying drones near marine mammals. However, it said that Trafford was not in breach of them as this was an unplanned wildlife encounter, with the dolphins swimming into the frame of Trafford’s video. Credit: Ross Harvey Trafford via Storyful