Dolphin watchers were stunned when they saw a group of mammals kill a small porpoise for fun.
On August 22, a party 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 coast, the group began to observe some action in the water.
The group, accompanied by SeaMôr wildlife guides, Andy Walsh and Josh Pedley, saw eight bottlenose dolphins beat the remarkably smaller porpoise as it approached.
The tour company said it was “morbidly rare” to be present at such an incident.
Passengers were shocked by the pod of dolphins charging towards the helpless porpoise (pictured).
The dolphin watchers were part of the animal tourism company SeaMôr when the eight dolphins beat the small aquatic animal (pictured) They described the encounter as ‘morbidly rare’
The attack on the porpoises by the deadly eight dolphins lasts just under ten minutes (pictured)
Brett Stones, 44, owner of SeaMôrsaid: “Because dolphins and porpoises look alike, they went there, but realized the dolphins were actually beating up a porpoise.”
According to Mr. Pedley, the deadly attack lasted less than ten minutes.
He claimed the porpoise “didn’t have a chance”, such as when the group turned around to see the mammals charging towards the small aquatic creature.
At that time, all they could see was “a white water eruption”, according to Mr Pedler.
He told the Western Telegraph: ‘The porpoise tried several times to use our boat as a shelter and to hide under us.
“It gave us an unrivaled view of the action.
“The dolphins got bored and we watched in disbelief as the porpoise took its last breath next to our boat.
“It was naturally 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 porpoises, all of which are endangered.
Mr Stones told MailOnline: “A bit of competition for food and the fact that the dolphins are a bit naughty is part of it.
“Sometimes they kill younger dolphins to put the females in heat”
The business owner, who has never seen such an incident in his 27 years of travel, said:
“It’s quite rare that we see it, but does it happen often? We’re not 100 percent sure. The ocean is so huge that we only see a tiny fragment of it.
Wildlife guide Mr Pedley echoed the statement: “We talked about porpicide and we hear about it, but it was talked about almost in a mythical way.
Recalling the reactions of those who witnessed the porpicide once it landed, Mr Stones said:
“They were both excited and compelled to witness events like this which can be traumatic.
The porpoise took its last breath next to their boat according to wildlife guide Josh Pedley
Some passengers wanted to give the animal a “cwtch” (hug) during the “traumatic” event, according to SeaMôr owner Brett Stones.
“A few people wanted to reach out, hug the animal and give it shelter. We are always in favor of the oppressed.
Mr. Pedley told the BBC: “All the passengers were fantastic, we had the right people on board”
The tour guide also revealed that those on board were wondering about the porpicide shortly before it happened in the flesh.
According to the team, reactions to the incident on social media have been mixed.
Some were devastated by the unfortunate passing of the porpoise. with a comment: “Oh my God, how heartbreaking nature can be. I’m so glad I didn’t witness this, but I know that’s life.
Another said: “So sad, but that’s how the animal world works. »
Others complimented them on the footage saying, “Wow, amazing. Thank you for that.’
Another joked: “Great photos, nature is both brutal and beautiful. »
