Let me introduce you to the lust filled dolphin Zafar, if you haven’t heard of him before. Zafar, a common bottlenose dolphin has been capturing the hearts of Bretons with his overly-friendly gestures, up until recently.
Residents and tourists alike have both been delighted by his freestyle antics and acrobatics.
He loves coming up to boats, kayaks, and humans, and had already developed a reputation of being a “frotteur” or liking to rub against all of the above for sexual gratification or just for human contact?
He seems to know and appreciate that he had become a local tourist attraction, seen often leaping out of the water gracefully as only dolphins can do with such ease.
http:////www.youtube.com/watch?v=p27V-r5I-Jg Take a look at this video by David Gasnier, from which the photo was taken.
In fact, Zafar has apparently grown so dependent on having human admiration, that he seemingly has grown more attached to human species than to other dolphins.
Unfortunately, his overly touchy-feely interest in humans, especially with females, has been recently interpreted as overtly aggressive sexual advances.
Now it Looks like Zafar who can’t keep his genitalia flap zipped is rivaling the reputation of some of his human male kind and is becoming a Harvey Weinstein of the sea!
This poor maligned dolphin, who is about 3 meters long(10 feet) has managed to be accused of scaring swimmers with his fear provoking sexual advances towards some.
In reading several accounts from women who encountered the amorous advances of Zafar I can understand their fear.
Most related being approached by him and having him circling around them, and then coming up to rub against them. Some have said he tried to prevent them from returning to the shore or boat, which would frighten me too.
All mentioned noticing him flashing his rather large pink penis, during his flirtatious frolics.
Dolphin behaviorists say that happens also with male dolphins during play or being territorial. So who knows if Zafar is just being playful or “playing around” in human vernacular.
He even recently flipped one woman out of the water with his nose like she was a beach ball.
Mayor of Landévennec, Roger Lars, said he was near the port in his small beachside village in late August when he heard a woman scream.
When he got to the scene, he saw a woman in her sixties shaking with fear, being helped out of the water by friends.
He decided after that to forbid swimming off the shore, saying he would prefer to be reproached now rather than later when Zafar causes an injury or worse.
Since then, he has been criticized for “trying to create a psychosis of fear”, and trying to present dolphins as “ferocious beasts”.
Brittany, as you can see on the map, is the tea kettle looking spout that juts out into the North Atlantic
I can certainly understand why Zadar likes hanging around those lovely wild looking beachscapes and coves, though I imagine he must have chosen Brittany for other reasons known only to dolphins.
More than likely his favorite fish can be found in abundance, as the whole area is famous for its fabulous fish, crustaceans, and oysters.
Maybe because he has become endeared towards his local human friends, both male and female.
According to authorities from the Océanopolis of Brest, Zafar is in “rut” or better known as having only one thing on his mind; that of mating
In my meager research into dolphin sexuality that does not sound completely true, as dolphins are noted to engage in sexual play at any time.
Dolphins are said to not have any specific season for mating. Like humans, they seem to enjoy dolphin sex for pleasure rather than just for procreation.
Though female dolphins do have a specific time when they ovulate, they do engage in dolphin sex outside that period.
All of his behavior seems to be quite normal for wild dolphins, mind you, except for a little detail of some significance.
You see, Zafar is all by his lonesome self in swimming around these shores.
Not only does he not have any buddies to frolic and pass the time of day with, but more important there aren’t any lady dolphins to flirt with.
Since dolphins are very sociable by nature and almost exclusively travel in pods of several other dolphins, not only for socialization but for protection, Zafar is now considered a loner in dolphin behavioral norms.
In earlier mention of him off the southern coast of Brittany in June 2017, around Concarneau and Ile de Groix, some writers noted seeing him with one or two other dolphins, they nicknamed Randy and Dony.
Since he reappeared in March in the bay of Brest and in Loganna, Plougastel and Landévennec, he has been all by his lonesome.
Has poor Zafar been outlawed from his pod for some grievous dolphin behavior or has he chosen to leave his pod for more human contact?
For whatever reason Zafar seemingly prefers human contact, he still should be respected as a wild dolphin.
He probably is totally innocent in his human encounters, but due to his size and the fact that humans cannot swim and maneuver like a dolphin, he could inadvertently cause injury with his tail or even accidental drowning.
If that happened, then he would really be seen as dangerous and could even be captured to protect those humans he apparently loves being around.
So, I am in favor of protecting Zafar for his own sake and the humans who may not know how to react to his frisky seductive encounters.