After one of the quietest years in Venice, with decreased tourism and less land and sea traffic, a remarkable event occurred on Monday which saw a female bottlenose dolphin and her calf pay a visit to the Grand Canal in Venice. It has been said that their unique venture into the canal was in search of some cuttlefish off the Punta della Dogana, just a short distance from the frequented tourist stop, St Mark’s Square.
Local coastguards monitored the dolphins as they searched for fish and prevented the public from getting too close to the mammals. A rescue team was dispatched to ensure that they returned safely back to the sea.
Head of Venice’s Natural History Museum, Luca Bizzan, informed The Times that the sighting was ‘unusual’ however, it was the serene waters and lack of traffic that ‘encouraged [them] to venture [that] far into the city’. He also added there is ‘a a lot’ of cuttlefish at this time of year as they ‘enter the lagoon to lay eggs’ which could have been a significant reason for the dolphins’ appearance; the calm waters aiding their search for the fish.
This sighting marks the ‘first time’ that locals have ‘see[n] a mother and juvenile off St Mark’s Square’ said researcher, Sandro Mazzariol, at the University of Padua; adding to the long list of new experiences that have been witnessed over the past year!
A video from The National documented the arrival of the rescue team required to ensure that ‘the adult and the calf made it back to the sea’ after the dolphins appeared to be ‘disorientated’. Officials also added that this process took three hours to ensure they made it out safely without harming or disturbing the dolphins.
However, as one might assume that the dolphins were attracted to the calm and improved water quality in the canal due to the lack of tourism over the past year, the Venice mayor’s office claimed that the clean water was actually solely due to the lack of ‘[boat] traffic in the canals’, not just the tourism on land, ‘which [allowed] the sediment to stay at the bottom.’ He said that the ‘boat traffic’ [usually] ‘brings sediment to the top of the water’s surface’, giving it a dirtier appearance.
However, a spokesperson went on to add that ‘restricted movement of residents’ had lessened the amount of pollution in the city which has, of course, amounted to cleaner and calmer waters; improved conditions that would attract new forms of wildlife to the waters – dolphins included.
Flourishing wildlife and a slightly improved climate state has been positive over the past year, amounting to incredible animal sightings including the arrival of dolphins in a usually busy canal, tourist location, and occupied city – it has been important for people to see animal life prospering whilst human life takes a step back.
For more insight into flourishing animal wildlife, check out this article to indulge in some optimistic news.
