The New Zealand government has banned tourists from swimming with bottlenose dolphins in an attempt to save the struggling species.

According to the department of conservation [DoC] research has shown that humans were “loving the dolphins too much” and human interaction was “having a signifiant impact on the populations resting and feeding behaviour”.

The ban on swimming with bottlenose dolphins applies to tour operators in the North Island’s Bay of Islands region, which is popular with tourists for its warm climate and golden beaches. Other dolphin tours that interact with different species of dolphin in other parts of the country are still permitted.

Bottlenose dolphins prefer to swim in coastal regions, making them vulnerable to human activity, and their numbers in the Bay of Islands have declined by 66% since 1990, according to DoC.

A core group of only 19 bottlenose dolphins visit the region regularly now, and the latest reports show a 75% mortality rate among their calves – the highest seen both in New Zealand, internationally and in captivity.

Alongside banning tourist swims with bottlenose dolphins, DoC have stipulated that tour operators may interact with the dolphins only for periods of 20 minutes (reduced from 30 minutes) at a time, and all tour operators will be restricted to visiting either morning or afternoon, in order to provide a block of time where the dolphins are left alone.

The possibility of creating a marine mammal sanctuary in the Bay of Islands is also being investigated by DoC, research partners and local Māori tribes.

Tour operators in the Bay of Plenty have raised concerns about the impact the new ban will have on tourism numbers, and said less tour operators on the water will mean fewer eyes watching out for how private boats interact with the vulnerable population.

Tourists can still swim with common or dusky dolphins in tours operated in the South Island. </s> Tourists are to be banned from swimming with charismatic dolphins in one of New Zealand’s most famous holiday destinations in a bid to protect the struggling species from too much attention.

Research shows people are "loving the dolphins too much" in the Bay of Islands, north of Auckland.

Boat trips offering passengers a chance to frolic with fast-moving, playful pods have been axed because of sharply falling numbers.

The population of bottlenose dolphins in a region known for its golden beaches and warm climate has crashed from 270 in 1999 to a current estimate of 31, a fall of almost 90 per cent.

A study by New Zealand’s Department of Conservation (DoC) has shown that human interaction was “having a significant impact on the population’s resting and feeding behaviour”.

A core group of only 19 bottlenose dolphins regularly visit the Bay of Islands, and the latest reports show a 75 percent mortality rate among their calves – the highest seen both in New Zealand and internationally, in the wild and in captivity.

Swimming with some of nature’s most intelligent creatures has been a thrill for many visitors to New Zealand’s subtropical North Island. Bottlenose dolphins travel in social groups and communicate by a complex system of squeaks and whistles. </s> Environment Minister Segolene Royal had on Wednesday signed a version of the legislation introducing "tight controls on the reproduction of dolphins", her ministry said in a statement.

But she has since decided the rules need to be "more radical", her ministry told AFP on Saturday, particularly after learning that "some animals were drugged" in aquariums.

The new rules ban the captivity of all whales, dolphins and porpoises, except for orcas and bottlenose dolphins already held in authorised aquariums.

"In plain terms, this means the end of breeding, exchange and import programmes," five conservation groups including One Voice and Sea Shepherd said in a joint statement.

"Without possible replenishment, this quite simply means the scheduled end of marine circuses on our territory."

But the move sparked anger from Jon Kershaw, head of the Marineland Antibes dolphin show park in southern France, who told the Var-Matin newspaper it was a "bombshell" for establishments like his.

The new rules notably also require "an increase of at least 150 percent of pools to allow the animals to live in less proximity from visitors and other animals", the ministry said, as well as banning chlorine in treating the water.

Direct contact between the animals and the public is also now forbidden.

Water parks and aquariums have six months to conform to the new rules, and a three-year deadline for expanding their pools.

Parks such as Marineland Antibes—the biggest attraction of its kind in Europe—have faced growing criticism in recent years over their animals' living conditions.

Explore further: It's an orca! Last killer whale is born at a SeaWorld park </s> PARIS, France – France on Saturday, May 6, banned the breeding in captivity of dolphins and killer whales under tighter rules that campaigners hope will eventually herald the end of shows involving the animals.

Environment Minister Segolene Royal had on Wednesday, May 3, signed a version of the legislation introducing "tight controls on the reproduction of dolphins," her ministry said in a statement.

But she has since decided the rules need to be "more radical," her ministry told AFP on Saturday, particularly after learning that "some animals were drugged" in aquariums.

The new rules ban the captivity of all whales, dolphins, and porpoises, except for orcas and bottlenose dolphins already held in authorized aquariums.

"In plain terms, this means the end of breeding, exchange, and import programs," 5 conservation groups including One Voice and Sea Shepherd said in a joint statement.

"Without possible replenishment, this quite simply means the scheduled end of marine circuses on our territory."

But the move sparked anger from Jon Kershaw, head of the Marineland Antibes dolphin show park in southern France, who told the Var-Matin newspaper it was a "bombshell" for establishments like his.

The new rules notably also require "an increase of at least 150% of pools to allow the animals to live in less proximity from visitors and other animals," the ministry said, as well as banning chlorine in treating the water.

Direct contact between the animals and the public is also now forbidden.

Water parks and aquariums have 6 months to conform to the new rules, and a 3-year deadline for expanding their pools.

Parks such as Marineland Antibes – the biggest attraction of its kind in Europe – have faced growing criticism in recent years over their animals' living conditions. – Rappler.com </s> Tourists have been banned from swimming with bottlenose dolphins in New Zealand in a bid to protect them from “being loved into extinction”.

The population of bottlenose dolphins in the Bay of Islands, on the country’s east coast, has fallen in recent years and the species is classified as endangered in New Zealand.

According to the country’s Department of Conservation (DOC), people are “simply loving them too much” as heavy boat traffic is causing dolphins to spend less time carrying out important biological behaviours such as “feeding, nursing their young and sleeping”, as they opt to spend time socialising with humans instead.

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A report published by Massey University in 2016, commissioned by the DOC, found a link between the high level of interaction between boats and dolphins and the decline in numbers.

Researchers discovered the dolphins spent 86 per cent of daylight hours near to at least one boat.

Shape Created with Sketch. World's most endangered animals Show all 17 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. World's most endangered animals 1/17 Amur Leopard Endemic to the far east of Russia, the Amur Leopard has a population of around 84 and is critically endangered. Here follows every species that the WWF lists as critically endangered. Getty 2/17 Yangtze Finless Porpoise Endemic to China's Yangtze River, the Yangtze finless porpoise has an estimated population of 1000-1800 Kenichi Nobusue 3/17 South China Tiger When discovered in the 1950s, the South China tiger population was estimated to be 4000, by 1996 it was estimated to be only 30-80. Scientists consider the tiger to be "functionally extinct" as one has not been sighted for over 25 years 4/17 Sumatran Orangutan The Sumatran orangutan was once found across the island of Sumatra and even further south on Java. Today it is found only in the island's north and its population stands at 14,613 Getty 5/17 Western Lowland Gorilla Though it is the most populous of all gorilla subspecies, the western lowland gorilla is still critically endangered and its population has declined by 60% in the last quarter century Getty 6/17 Sumatran Rhinoceros The Sumatran rhinoceros is the smallest of the surviving rhinoceros species. Only 80 are known to be living today. The last male Sumatran rhino in Malaysia died on 28 May 2019 Willem V Strien 7/17 Sumatran Tiger There are fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers left today. They are severely threatened by deforestation and poaching Getty 8/17 Eastern Lowland Gorilla Half of the rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo in which these gorillas live has been destroyed the past 50 years. There were 17,000 Eastern Lowland gorillas in the 1990s but scientists estimate their population has declined by over 50% since then Getty 9/17 Vaquita The world's rarest marine animal has a population of only 30. They were discovered in 1958 and are endemic to Mexico's Gulf of California Paula Olson / NOAA 10/17 Javan Rhino The most threatened of all rhino species, there are only an estimated 58-68 Javan rhino left Reuters 11/17 Saola The saola was first sighted in 1992, being the first large mammal to be discovered in over 50 years. Scientists have only sighted saola in the wild four times and it is considered critically endangered 12/17 Sumatran Elephant The Sumatran elephant population now stands at only 2400-2800 Getty 13/17 Malayan Tiger The Malayan Tiger population now stands at only 250-300 Getty 14/17 Hawksbill Turtle The population of the Hawksbill Turtle has declined by more than 80% in the last century. They are threatened by black market poachers who kill them for their shell Getty 15/17 Black Rhino The population of the black rhino dropped by 98% in the years 1960-1995 due to poaching, it stands today at around 5000 Getty 16/17 Cross River Gorilla The population of the Cross River gorilla has been damaged by deforestation and poaching, it now stands at 200-300 Julie Langford 17/17 Bornean Orangutan The population of the Bornean orangutan has been reduced by over 50% in the past 60 years, now standing at around 104,700. Their habitat has been reduced by at least 50% in the 21st century Getty 1/17 Amur Leopard Endemic to the far east of Russia, the Amur Leopard has a population of around 84 and is critically endangered. Here follows every species that the WWF lists as critically endangered. Getty 2/17 Yangtze Finless Porpoise Endemic to China's Yangtze River, the Yangtze finless porpoise has an estimated population of 1000-1800 Kenichi Nobusue 3/17 South China Tiger When discovered in the 1950s, the South China tiger population was estimated to be 4000, by 1996 it was estimated to be only 30-80. Scientists consider the tiger to be "functionally extinct" as one has not been sighted for over 25 years 4/17 Sumatran Orangutan The Sumatran orangutan was once found across the island of Sumatra and even further south on Java. Today it is found only in the island's north and its population stands at 14,613 Getty 5/17 Western Lowland Gorilla Though it is the most populous of all gorilla subspecies, the western lowland gorilla is still critically endangered and its population has declined by 60% in the last quarter century Getty 6/17 Sumatran Rhinoceros The Sumatran rhinoceros is the smallest of the surviving rhinoceros species. Only 80 are known to be living today. The last male Sumatran rhino in Malaysia died on 28 May 2019 Willem V Strien 7/17 Sumatran Tiger There are fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers left today. They are severely threatened by deforestation and poaching Getty 8/17 Eastern Lowland Gorilla Half of the rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo in which these gorillas live has been destroyed the past 50 years. There were 17,000 Eastern Lowland gorillas in the 1990s but scientists estimate their population has declined by over 50% since then Getty 9/17 Vaquita The world's rarest marine animal has a population of only 30. They were discovered in 1958 and are endemic to Mexico's Gulf of California Paula Olson / NOAA 10/17 Javan Rhino The most threatened of all rhino species, there are only an estimated 58-68 Javan rhino left Reuters 11/17 Saola The saola was first sighted in 1992, being the first large mammal to be discovered in over 50 years. Scientists have only sighted saola in the wild four times and it is considered critically endangered 12/17 Sumatran Elephant The Sumatran elephant population now stands at only 2400-2800 Getty 13/17 Malayan Tiger The Malayan Tiger population now stands at only 250-300 Getty 14/17 Hawksbill Turtle The population of the Hawksbill Turtle has declined by more than 80% in the last century. They are threatened by black market poachers who kill them for their shell Getty 15/17 Black Rhino The population of the black rhino dropped by 98% in the years 1960-1995 due to poaching, it stands today at around 5000 Getty 16/17 Cross River Gorilla The population of the Cross River gorilla has been damaged by deforestation and poaching, it now stands at 200-300 Julie Langford 17/17 Bornean Orangutan The population of the Bornean orangutan has been reduced by over 50% in the past 60 years, now standing at around 104,700. Their habitat has been reduced by at least 50% in the 21st century Getty

They warned bottlenose dolphins could disappear from the Bay of Islands completely if the population continues to plummet.

In an attempt to tackle the decline, the government has banned boat tours which allow customers to swim with the marine mammals in the Bay of Islands.

New, stricter rules also limit the amount of time the tours can interact with the animals to 20 minutes. Tours can only visit in the morning and afternoon, to give the dolphins more time to themselves.

The Massey University study, carried out between December 2012 and April 2015, identified a population of 96 bottlenose dolphins in the Bay of Islands – a 66 per cent decline compared to previous research published in 2002.

There are now estimated to be just 31 of the dolphins in the area.

Researchers also found that 75 per cent of baby bottlenose dolphins were thought to have died before reaching independence – an increase of 52 per cent compared to a study in 2009.

At the time of the 2016 report, Sue Reed-Thomas, the DOC’s northern North Island director of operations, said: “It’s very difficult to manage a group of wild animals swimming freely.

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“The dolphins often swim towards boats themselves and you simply can’t put a barrier around them or monitor every interaction they have.

“Everyone who puts a boat on the water in the Bay of Islands needs to be aware of the problem so they play their part in protecting the local dolphin population.” </s> PARIS:- France on Saturday banned the breeding in captivity of dolphins and killer whales under tighter rules that campaigners hope will eventually herald the end of shows involving the animals. Environment Minister Segolene Royal had on Wednesday signed a version of the legislation introducing “tight controls on the reproduction of dolphins”, her ministry said in a statement. But she has since decided the rules need to be “more radical”, her ministry told AFP on Saturday, particularly after learning that “some animals were drugged” in aquariums.–AFP </s> France on Saturday banned the breeding in captivity of dolphins and killer whales under tighter rules that campaigners hope will eventually herald the end of shows involving the animals.

Environment Minister Segolene Royal had on Wednesday signed a version of the legislation introducing "tight controls on the reproduction of dolphins", her ministry said in a statement.

But she has since decided the rules need to be "more radical", her ministry told AFP on Saturday, particularly after learning that "some animals were drugged" in aquariums.

The new rules ban the captivity of all whales, dolphins and porpoises, except for orcas and bottlenose dolphins already held in authorised aquariums. </s> New Zealand volunteers formed a human chain in the water at a remote beach on Friday as they tried to save about 100 whales after more than 400 of the creatures beached themselves in one of the worst whale strandings in the nation’s history. About three-quarters of the pilot whales were already dead when they were found Friday morning at Farewell Spit at the tip of the South Island. It’s an area that seems to confuse whales and has been the site of previous mass strandings.

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Department of Conservation community ranger Kath Inwood said about 300 volunteers had joined conservation workers on the beach. She said they had refloated the whales at high tide and had formed the chain to try and prevent them from swimming back ashore. “It can be really quite distressing seeing so many dead whales,” Inwood said. “People need to be resilient and handle that and then get on with what needs to be done.” She said volunteers had earlier tried to keep the surviving whales damp and cool by placing blankets over them and dousing them with buckets of water as they waited for the tide to rise.

The high tide allowed volunteers their one shot of the day to help the whales. Should the whales become stranded again, the volunteers would have to wait until the next daylight high tide on Saturday. Inwood said that whale strandings occur most years at Farewell Spit, but that the scale of this stranding had come as a shock. She said farmers and other locals were helping out and that people were also arriving from other parts of the country. There are different theories as to why whales strand themselves, from them chasing prey too far inshore to them trying to protect a sick member of the group.

Farewell Spit is sometimes described as a whale trap. It has a long protruding coastline and gently sloping beaches that seem to make it difficult for whales to navigate away from once they get close. Authorities were asking for fit and competent volunteers to travel to the beach and help with the rescue efforts. Getting there from the nearest provincial airport in Nelson involves a three-hour drive followed by a 15-minute hike.

Conservation workers said many of the surviving whales were likely to be in bad shape given the number of deaths, and their condition would deteriorate. Volunteer rescue group Project Jonah said a total of 416 whales had stranded and 75 percent were dead when they were discovered.

The Department of Conservation put the number of dead whales at about 250 to 300. New Zealand has one of the highest rates of whale strandings in the world, and Friday’s event is the nation’s third-biggest recorded stranding. The largest was in 1918, when about 1,000 pilot whales came ashore on the Chatham Islands. In 1985 about 450 whales stranded in Auckland. </s> Whales are stranded at Farewell Spit near Nelson, New Zealand Friday, Feb. 10, 2017. New Zealand volunteers formed a human chain in the water at a remote beach on Friday as they tried to save about 100 whales after more than 400 of the creatures beached themselves in one of the worst whale strandings in the nation's history. About three-quarters of the pilot whales were already dead when they were found Friday morning at Farewell Spit at the tip of the South Island. (Tim Cuff/New Zealand Herald via AP)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — It was the sound of soft sighs and cries in the half-light that first struck Cheree Morrison, and then as the dawn broke she began to see the extent of the carnage — more than 400 whales had swum aground along a remote New Zealand beach.

About 275 of the pilot whales were already dead when Morrison and two colleagues found them Friday on Farewell Spit at the tip of the South Island.

Within hours, hundreds of farmers, tourists and teenagers were racing to keep the surviving 140 or so whales alive in one of the worst whale strandings in the nation's history.

Morrison, a magazine writer and editor, stumbled upon the whales after taking a pre-dawn trip with a photographer and a guide to capture the red glow of the sunrise.

"You could hear the sounds of splashing, of blowholes being cleared, of sighing," she said. "The young ones were the worst. Crying is the only way to describe it."

The adult and baby whale carcasses were strewn three or four deep in places for hundreds of yards, often rolled over on the sand with their tail fins still aloft.

Morrison's group alerted authorities, and volunteers soon began arriving in wetsuits and carrying buckets. Dressed in her jeans and sandshoes, Morrison waded into the water and did what she could to try to maneuver the surviving whales upright so they could breathe more easily.

"I walked away crying my eyes out," she said. "We knew there were limited things we could do."

Volunteer rescue group Project Jonah said a total of 416 whales had stranded. When high tide came, volunteers managed to refloat about 50 the surviving whales while the other 80 or 90 remained beached.

The volunteers then formed a human chain in the water to try to stop the creatures from swimming back and stranding themselves again. It will likely take a day or so to determine how successful their efforts have been.

Volunteers plan to refloat more whales on Saturday.

Farewell Spit, a sliver of sand that arches like a hook into the Tasman Sea, seems to confuse whales and has been the site of previous mass strandings.

The Department of Conservation said about 500 volunteers had joined conservation workers on the beach.

Community ranger Kath Inwood said the volunteers were continuing to keep the stranded survivors damp and cool by placing blankets over them and dousing them with buckets of water.

The high tide allowed volunteers their one shot of the day to help some of the whales. Many plan to return for the high tide on Saturday to try to refloat more of the whales, including any that strand themselves again.

There are different theories as to why whales strand themselves, from them chasing prey too far inshore to them trying to protect a sick member of the group.

Inwood said whale strandings occur most years at Farewell Spit, but the scale of this event came as a shock.

Sometimes described as a whale trap, the spit's long coastline and gently sloping beaches seem to make it difficult for whales to navigate away from once they get close.

The beach is remote. Getting there from the nearest provincial airport in Nelson takes a three-hour drive followed by a 15-minute hike.

Conservation workers said many of the surviving whales were likely to be in bad shape given the number of deaths, and that their conditions would likely deteriorate the longer they remained stranded.

New Zealand has one of the highest rates of whale strandings in the world, and Friday's event is the nation's third-biggest recorded stranding.

The largest was in 1918, when about 1,000 pilot whales came ashore on the Chatham Islands. In 1985 about 450 whales stranded in Auckland.

"It was just heartbreaking," Morrison said. "Utterly heartbreaking."
New Zealand bans tourists from swimming with bottlenose dolphins, saying dwindling numbers are linked to excessive interaction with tourists, as the animals choose socialising with people over necessary biological functions. Authorities say the species risks "being loved into extinction".