Scientist concerned for Moko
Jessica Wauchop
CONCERNS for the safety of Mahia’s most famous resident, Moko the friendly dolphin, have been expressed by a renowned marine biologist.
Dr Ingrid Visser recently spent three days with Moko and identified scarring from boats and fish hooks on the three-year-old dolphin.
“He has scars on his left side, indicative of close interactions with a boat propeller. Moko also has a scar on his right upper jaw — it appears to be from a fish hook having been embedded in and subsequently removed from the flesh,” she said.
“It remains to be seen how long Moko will stay in the area, delighting visitors, providing insights for researchers and following the fishing boats.
“In some areas of the world these ‘lone’ dolphins have inhabited the area for many years. However, it is sad to note that of the nearly 30 individual ‘lone’ dolphins which have been well documented from around the world, at least 14 have been injured or even killed as a result of interacting closely with humans.
“During the winter months, Moko has infrequent visits from hardy souls who brave the cool waters of the area. But come summer time, he can have hundreds of individuals vying for his attention.
“Hopefully, all this interest will not result in Moko the friendly dolphin being further injured and he can continue to delight researchers and laypersons on a regular basis.”
The insights gained from observing Moko could provide valuable comparisons to wild dolphins, she said.
Studying whales and dolphins was, by its nature, a difficult process, as they lived offshore and were under water 90 percent of the time, said Dr Visser.
“So when Sarah Dwyer, a research colleague of mine from Kaikoura, told me of a lone dolphin inhabiting the waters of Mahia Peninsula, I was intrigued.
“These lone dolphins provide opportunities for researchers to observe dolphins in close proximity — albeit with highly-modified behaviours.”
Two other scientists visited with Dr Visser, including Juan Copello from Argentina who was amazed by Moko.
Despite being “used to seeing large orca coming on to the beach to take sea lion pups, Mr Copello was still unprepared for how close to the shoreline Moko was willing to approach”, said Dr Visser.
Mahia man Bill Shortt said Moko had come through the winter months with flying colours.
“He even looks to be a little overweight. He definitely gets bored some days as he just cruises along the shoreline waiting for people to play with.”
As a substitute, Moko spends hours head-butting and playing with the marker buoys near the boat canal.
“It is a wonder that they can stick there with him power bunting them most days.”
Mr Shortt said like other Mahia people, he was disappointed Department of Conservation signs still said Moko was a female.
“These are photographed virtually every day by people from every corner of the globe.
“As Moko’s brain is the closest to we humans, I don’t think he would appreciate being tagged as a girl!”