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 C 55.302: D 69 
 
 * V 
 
Dolphins 
 not beg| 
 
 but when peo- 
 ple offer them 
 food, dolphins, 
 like most ani- 
 mals, take the 
 
 B^^^HB^r- 
 
 easy way out. They learn to beg for a 
 living, lose their fear of humans, and do 
 dangerous things. 
 
 "too close 
 g boat 
 
 and can be severe- 
 ly injured. They 
 learn to associate 
 people with food 
 and get entangled 
 with fishing hooks 
 and lines and die. They get sick from eat- 
 ing bait and people food like beer, pret- 
 zels, candy and hot dogs. 
 
 Pennsylvania State University 
 Libraries 
 
 JUN 1 1 1997 
 
 Documents Collection 
 U.S. Depository Cop/ 
 
Dolphin 
 proof o 
 
 feeding wild 
 dolphin dis- 
 rupts their 
 social groups 
 which threat- 
 ens their abili- 
 ty to survive in 
 the wild. Young dolphins do not survive if 
 their mothers compete with them for hand- 
 outs and don't teach them to forage. 
 
 Dozens of I 
 been rep 
 
 bites have 
 
 and people 
 
 have been 
 
 pulled under 
 
 the water. A 
 
 woman who 
 
 fed a pair of 
 
 dolphins and 
 
 then jumped in the water to swim with 
 
 them was bitten. "I literally ripped my left 
 
 leg out of its mouth," she said during her 
 
 week stay in the hospital. 
 
Dolphins 
 toys or [ 
 
 the Flipper 
 myth of a 
 friendly wild 
 dolphin has 
 given us the 
 wrong idea. Flipper was actually a trained, 
 captive dolphin who did not bite the hand 
 that fed him. However, truly wild dolphins 
 will bite when they are angry, frustrated or 
 afraid. When people try to swim with wild 
 dolphins, the dolphins are disturbed. 
 Dolphins who have become career 
 moochers can get pushy, aggressive and 
 threatening when they don't get the hand- 
 out they expect. 
 
 For all these reasons, it is 
 against the law to feed or 
 harass wild dophins. 
 
 The Marine Mammal Protection Act 
 (MMPA) prohibits the "taking" of marine 
 mammals. The term "take" means to 
 harass, hunt, capture, kill, or feed, or 
 attempt any of these activities. 
 
Dolphins have a 
 reputation for 
 being [j 
 
 however, 
 they are 
 really wild 
 animals who 
 should be 
 treated with 
 
 caution and respect. Interactions with 
 people change the behavior of dolphins 
 for the worse. They lose their natural 
 wariness which makes them easy targets 
 for vandalism and shark attacks. 
 
For the dolphins' sake, and for your safety, please 
 
 don't feed, swim with or harm wild 
 
 DOLPHINS. We encourage you to observe them 
 in the wild from at least 50 yards. If you would 
 like to get up close and personal with dolphins, 
 the MMPA provides for the public display of cap- 
 tive marine mammals. Contact the Office of 
 Protected Resources for a list of facilities that hold 
 dolphins. 
 
 Office of Protected Resources 
 
 National Marine Fisheries Service 
 
 1335 East West Highway 
 
 Silver Spring, MD 20910 
 
 301-713-2289 
 
 http://kingfish.ssp.nmfs.gov/ 
 
 Let the wild ones stay wild. 
 
 NOAA Fisheries Enforcement Hot Line 
 1-800-853-1964 
 
 P ™ STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES 
 
 A0DD031tT5S33 
 The maximum fine for violating the MMPA is 
 $20,000 and one year in jail. 
 
 ^^rV 
 
 Grateful acknowledgment to Randall S. Wells, Chicago Zoological 
 Society and Thomas M. Murphy, South Carolina Department of 
 Natural Resources for the photos provided.