Dolphin watchers were stunned to see a group of mammals kill a small porpoise for fun.
On August 22, a group of nine tourists left the west coast of Wales at 6.35pm for a one-hour sunset dolphin-watching cruise.
As the dolphin watching group returned to the Ceredigion shore, the group began to witness some in-water activity.
The group, accompanied by SeaMôr wildlife guides Andy Walsh and Josh Pedley, saw eight bottlenose dolphins pummel the much smaller porpoise as it approached.
The travel company said it was “morbidly rare” to be present at such an incident.
Passengers were shocked when the dolphins charged the defenseless porpoise (pictured).
Dolphin watchers were with wildlife tour company SeaMôr when the eight dolphins smashed the small aquatic animal (pictured). They described the encounter as “morbidly rare”
The porpoise attack of the eight deadly dolphins lasts almost ten minutes (picture)
Brett Stones, 44, owner of SeaMôr, said: “Because dolphins and porpoises look alike, they walked over but realized the dolphins were actually about to beat up a porpoise.”
According to Mr Pedley, the fatal attack lasted less than ten minutes.
He claimed that the porpoise “didn’t stand a chance” when the group turned to see the mammals charging at the small aquatic creature.
At that moment, all they could see was white water erupting[ing]’ said Mr. Pedler.
He told the Western Telegraph: “The porpoise has tried several times to use our boat as a shelter and to hide among us.”
“It gave us unprecedented insight into what was happening.”
“The dolphins eventually got bored and we watched in disbelief as the porpoise breathed its last beside our boat.”
“Of course that was very sad for the porpoise.”
Although bottlenose dolphins have a reputation for being “cute and cuddly animals,” they can also be quite “aggressive.”
A porpoise is a small aquatic mammal also classified as a toothed whale. There are up to seven different species of porpoise, all of which are threatened with extinction.
Mr Stones told Web: “A bit of competition for food and a bit of mean dolphins are part of it.”
“Sometimes they kill younger dolphins to get female dolphins into heat.”
The company owner, who has never experienced such an incident in his 27 years of operation, explained:
“It’s pretty rare to see, but does it happen often?” We’re not 100% sure. “The ocean is so vast that we only see a tiny portion of it.”
Wildlife guide Mr Pedley echoed this statement: “We’ve talked about pig venom and we hear about it, but it’s been talked about almost mythically.”
Recalling the reactions of those who witnessed the killing of the pigs as they came ashore, Mr Stones said:
“They were a mixture of excitement, but also the experience of having to witness such events can be traumatic.”
According to wildlife guide Josh Pedley, the porpoise breathed its last beside its boat
According to SeaMôr owner Brett Stones, some passengers wanted to offer the animal a hug during the “traumatic” event
“A few people wanted to hug the animal and give it sanctuary.” “We always side with the outsider.”
Mr Pedley told the BBC: “All the passengers were fantastic, we had the right people on board.”
The guide also revealed that people on board were asking questions about the pig slaughter just before it happened in the meat.
According to the team, there was mixed reaction to the incident on social media.
Some were devastated by the unfortunate death of the porpoise. One commented, “Oh my god how heartbreaking nature can be.” “I’m so glad I didn’t witness this, but I know it’s life.”
Another said: “So sad but that’s wildlife.”
Others congratulated them on the footage and said, ‘Wow, great.’ Thanks for that.’
Another quipped, “Great photos, nature is both brutal and beautiful.”