Wildlife

Dolphin Shuts Down Beach in France

A sexually frustrated dolphin has closed down a beach in western France.

The 3-meter-long (10 feet) bottlenose dolphin, nicknamed Zafar by locals, started off as a friendly attraction in the Bay of Brest, according to The Telegraph. The bay had become the dolphin's hangout of choice for the last couple of months, and he would often amuse people on boats by playing around them and would sometimes even let swimmers hold on to his fin and swim with him.

But lately, the dolphin has developed a habit of rubbing up against both people and boats, a sign that he may be in search of, well, sex. He also lifted one woman into the air with his nose, and, in another case, refused to let a swimmer go back to shore. (That swimmer had to be rescued.)

Zafar's behavior got so bad that the mayor of one of the bayside towns, Landévennec, issued a bylaw banning swimming and diving whenever Zafar's presence is confirmed.

Dolphins are known to have recreational sex with other dolphins throughout the year and don't have specific time points for mating. But sometimes that sexual energy is directed toward other species, including humans.