Harpooned Bottlenose Dolphin Saved in Croatia’s Adriatic

A harpooned bottlenose dolphin found late last month in Croatia’s northern Adriatic sea has been saved. ‘Bojan’ made the headlines last month after Marine Research and Conservation Institute Blue World published a photograph of the dolphin which was found near the island of Olib with a spear gun harpoon sticking out of its back.
After more than 3 weeks, Blue World report that the harpoon, which was about a meter long and embedded deep into Bojan’s flesh in front of the dorsal fin, has been dislodged. Blue World says that they are not 100% sure how the harpoon was removed but say that Bojan most likely, because of the constant irritation, managed to dislodge it by jumping on its back against the surface, causing  the cracking of connective tissue and therefore releasing the harpoon. A method dolphins use to remove parasites on their body. “We encountered this animal for the first time on 16 June 2004 and named it Bojan. We have since come to know him very well because he was present in a total of 55 sightings. Due to the fact that he was never photographed with a calf of his own, we are assuming he is male. He often spends time with other resident dolphins,” said Blue World at the time as they pleaded for any observers to report his location.

Bojan – now harpoonless

Bottlenose dolphins are protected by The Nature Protection Act in Croatia and person found guilty of killing the animals are subject to a 4,000 GBP fine. (foto: Blue World)