Mangalore: Dolphins can touch a chord

The Hindu

Mangalore, 03 May 2011: “It’s beautiful, but very difficult to capture on the camera.” This was how Tomton Coelho of the city describes the joy of sighting a dolphin on the high seas. “It is difficult to take out the camera and capture the sight,” he says.

 

 

Mr. Coelho is among many residents of Mangalore who have enjoyed sighting dolphins in the high seas. “It is always a pleasure to watch dolphins somersault and perform other antics. It is something that touches your heart,” he says. Mr. Coelho has watched the acrobatics of dolphins in Malaysia. He has sighted dolphins while on a cruise between Mumbai and Lakshadweep and between Karwar and Kozhikode.

 

Similar has been the experience of Eulalia D’Souza, a tour operator. “I and my family members enjoyed the one-hour drive in a speed boat in Goa.

 

It is just for a few seconds that you can see dolphins (on the high seas),” she says. “I am yet to try out the facility available on Panambur beach,” she adds.

 

Yathish Baikampady, chief executive officer of Panambur Beach Tourism Development Project, says dolphin-sighting boat ride provides an opportunity for naturalists to sight these intelligent creatures from a close range. “There are many dolphins all along the western coast,” he says. The short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus Capensis), which has a white underside and the spinner dolphin (Stenella Longirostris), which is grey in colour, are found in the Arabian Sea, he says.

 

“We charge Rs. 3,000 for a boat ride for 15 members. We refund 50 per cent amount if there is no sighting. But there have been only two occasions when I had to refund the amount,” Mr. Baikampady says.

 

Dolphin pools

 

Additional Director-General of Police K.S.N. Chikkerur, an avid naturalist, says dolphin pools similar to those existing in Eastern and Western countries can be created in Mangalore. “These pools attract a lot of tourists,” he says.

 

 

Mr. Chikkerur says care should be taken to select the species that are friendly with human beings. “There are a few species that are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act,” he says.

 

Deputy Commissioner Subodh Yadav says it is premature to think about dolphin pools in Mangalore. “It is too early to think about such an initiative. It can be considered seeing the response of people to the boat rides,” Mr. Yadav told.

 

Mr. Yadav says right now there is no proposal before the district administration for starting a dolphin pool.