A solitary dolphin has become the star of the Venetian lagoon in northern Italy. <\/p>\n
The creature has been sighted in the waters of St Mark\u2019s Basin, the area directly in front of the homonymous square, for several months now. <\/p>\n
Christened Mimmo, the bottlenose dolphin has charmed residents and tourists with its acrobatics, leaping and diving between gondolas and waterbuses.<\/p>\n
But the seemingly joyous antics (which are actually a way to communicate, spot food, dislodge parasites or increase speed) are masking potentially serious health and safety issues. <\/p>\n
The basin is one of the most trafficked areas of the city, far from an ideal habitat for the mammal. <\/p>\n
Experts are also questioning why the dolphin is alone, given that the species normally lives in pods of multiple individuals. <\/p>\n
Venice lagoon dolphin may have become disoriented<\/p>\n
Videos of Mimmo have flooded social media. Water taxis reportedly chase after the creature at the behest of tourists, and there are even impromptu tours being organised to spot it. <\/p>\n
But concerns are growing for the animal\u2019s welfare. Given the heavy boat traffic, the creature is at risk of colliding with a propeller and injuring itself. <\/p>\n
It may also be experiencing stress from the elevated levels of engine noise, which could be compromising its ability to orient itself and communicate<\/a> with other dolphins. <\/p>\n Dolphins<\/a> navigate using echolocation, a sophisticated system of sounds and echoes that allows them to reconstruct their surrounding space. <\/p>\n The lagoon is a kind of acoustic trap, with engine noise, underwater structures and the shouts of people creating confusion. As one Italian paper put it, \u201cFor a dolphin<\/a>, Venice is the equivalent of a nightclub with no exits.\u201d<\/p>\n Experts worry that the cetacean has become disoriented and lost contact with its pod. <\/p>\n According to biologists at the Natural History Museum in Venice, Mimmo has been periodically entering and exiting from the open sea since July, attracted by food and movement. <\/p>\n However, lately he has been remaining for longer and longer periods, seemingly trapped.<\/p>\n Authorities are working to guide the dolphin out to the open sea<\/p>\n The Coast Guard has appealed to boats not to approach Mimmo and to maintain a distance of at least 50 metres. <\/p>\n