Davina the Dolphin (formerly Dave the Dolphin) was a sociable solitary dolphin who resided off the coast in the Folkestone and Hythe area of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

for approximately eighteen months. This was a very unusual situation as dolphins normally reside with family groups known as pods, and are not usually seen on their own. She was often spotted swimming in the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

. During her time in the area, Davina received several serious injuries from being struck by boat propellers of people going out to see her. In August, 2007, she received an injury to her

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through conv ...

that took several months to heal. Then, in October, she lost a third of her tail, and this was considered a life-threatening injury. She was successfully treated with antibiotics administered by a vet working with the

cetacean Cetacea (; , ) is an infraorder of aquatic mammals that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Key characteristics are their fully aquatic lifestyle, streamlined body shape, often large size and exclusively carnivorous diet. They propel them ...

rescue organisation

British Divers Marine Life Rescue British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) is a British charity established in 1988 and is the United Kingdom's leading frontline marine mammal response organisation. It utilises a network of trained volunteers around the country to respond to ...

. She was seen in the area after this, and her condition appeared to be improving. However, she suddenly went missing from the area shortly after this. She was last reported to be seen in early November 2007. Althoug
BDMLR
marine mammal medics are still visiting the area on a regular basis, she has not been seen since, and there are fears that she may have died of an infection to her tail wound or may have been caught in fishing nets and drowned. But there has been no confirmation of this either way and hopes are that she is still alive but has simply left the area or perhaps rejoined another pod of dolphins.

had volunteers watching out for the safety of the dolphin and monitoring Davina and the behaviour of members of the public around her from the moment she appeared in the area. They also provided educational materials, passing out information leaflets to people on the beach and answering questions. Along with other organisations from the Marine Animal Rescue Coalition, BDMLR was concerned for the safety and well being of any solitary dolphin due to these animals often becoming harmed by human interaction. Davina is a female

bottlenosed dolphin Bottlenose dolphins are aquatic mammals in the genus ''Tursiops.'' They are common, cosmopolitan members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Molecular studies show the genus definitively contains two species: the common ...

, and she is estimated to be about 6 years old according to the MARC. On 9 June 2007, two men were arrested while swimming with Davina, for the crime of 'disturbing' a dolphin. They pleaded not guilty.Kent Online newspaper article on court case
/ref> On April 17, 2008 Michael Jukes, 27 and Daniel Buck, 26, were both ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work after magistrates convicted them of intentionally or recklessly disturbing a wild animal contrary to the

Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981 The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom implemented to comply with European Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds. In short, the act gives protection to native species (especia ...

References

{{Reflist

External links — Davina in the news

The dolphin has repeatedly made it on to the Kent Online and

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

website: ;Kent Online
How dolphin begged swimmers to leave her alone

Still no sign of missing Dave the dolphin

Fears for safety of 'missing' Dave the dolphin

Dave the dolphin responding well after serious injury

Battle is on to save Dave's life

Dave tail injury 'could be fatal'

Bid to save Dave the Dolphin's life

Warning after jet skiers harass 'celebrity' dolphin

Sign up and help save Dave the dolphin

Save Dave the dolphin stay away from him
;

Cinderella stars 'dolphin Dave'

Dolphin Dave 'becoming a danger'

Dave the dolphin film criticised

Dolphin fans 'urged to keep away'

Dolphin Dave honoured with award

Dolphin Dave boosts town's trade

Kayakers harassing 'dolphin Dave'

Dolphin 'at risk from being tame'

Search on the BBC Website
;Other media
Davina, the friendly dolphin with half a tail

The Telegraph: Tougher laws needed to protect friendly dolphins

See also

References

External links — Davina in the news

Other links