Last updated: 21 Jun 2023
We have been very discreet for several months, but our work continues at a sustained pace. Following a 2022 field season conducted with our eco-volunteers - whom we thank once again for their commitment and support - and marked by the premature disappearance of the young dolphin Zélie, we have resumed data analysis and the writing of scientific articles as part of a doctoral thesis conducted with CRIOBE and EPHE PSL - Paris Sciences et Lettres University.
One of them has just been published in the international journal Biological Conservation: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320723000484 It is a synthesis of more than five decades of close interactions between humans and dolphins in the wild, focusing on deleterious behaviors and risks associated with these interactions, often tinged with beliefs and greenwashing, whose number has exploded in recent years. Thanks to my co-authors - É. Clua and F. Delfour from EPHE-PSL and K. Dudzinski from the Dolphin Communication Project - for their support of this project! I also take this opportunity to thank our partners Objectif Sciences International and the Rangiroa Diving Center for their support in the field :-)
Here are some highlights of this publication:
A chronological and geographical synthesis of human/dolphin interactions in the wild Human behaviors too often intrusive towards dolphins Increased tolerance of dolphins associated with a greater risk of deleterious outcomes Keys to giving an ethical and respectful dimension to these interactions