Bullied Dolphin, 'Bolsa Chica Bob,' Made Outcast by Other Dolphins (VIDEO)
A lone dolphin may have been forced to relocate to the shallow waters of Bolsa Chica, Calif. after becoming the victim of bullying. Can dolphins be bullied too?
New reports have suggested that a lone dolphin who has been treading water for the past five days in Bolsa Chica may be considering making the shallow California water his new home.
After picking up the new name "Bolsa Chica Bob" from some locals, it appears that the lone dolphin- originally thought to be stranded- may actually be opting to stay in the new location.
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The dolphin was first spotted on Thursday morning. Rescue teams attempted to push the dolphin towards deeper waters, but Bolsa Chica Bob only returned back to the shallow waters.
On Saturday experts stated that they had witnessed Bolsa Chica Bob being bullied by other dolphins, and now believe that is the reason why the dolphin does not want to leave.
"People think they are happy loving animals but they have a dark side and can be aggressive with each other," said Peter Wallerstein of the El Segundo-based nonprofit Marine Animal Rescue group. "The last thing we want to do is force it into a confrontation."
While rescuers have confirmed that they have Bolsa Chica Bob on 24-hour watch, they have also decided that there are enough fish in the area to let the dolphin be if he chooses to stay.
"There's no reason to do anything prematurely," Wallerstein said. "Its breathing rate is good."
Saturday when Bolsa Chica Bob was being led away from the beach reserve into the open ocean water, a group of dolphins appeared and began to aggressively attack the lone dolphin, thrashing in the water.
"He was scared, he was intimidated, he was bullied," Wallerstein said.
Others were more suspicious of the claims, suggesting that it was unlikely that the dolphin would be bullied.
"I don't really think there's bullying in the dolphin world," said Dennis Kelly, Dolphin expert and marine science instructor at Orange Coast College.
