A dolphin sneaked into the waters of the ancient Italian city of Venice, surprising residents and tourists, and local authorities asked the boats and gondolas that roam its canals every day to be careful.
Natural History Museum in Venice He called on his social networks not to approach the animal by boatAvoid contact “at all costs” and of course do not throw food or objects at him.
“We don’t know why the dolphin decides to arrive at a place with heavy traffic, because the noise of the boat’s engines and propellers certainly bothers it, but it stayed,” Luca Mezzan, head of the foundation, explains in a video clip.
The animal is a bottlenose dolphin or tursiops truncatusIt looks quite healthy indeed It was discovered last July At one of the entrances to the Venetian lagoon, separated by a narrow strip of land from the Adriatic Sea.
However, in recent weeks, the animal approached the water in front of St. Mark’s Square, the central point of the city of canals, always crowded with tourists.
In fact, although scientists confirm the presence of dolphins in the waters of Venice They are not very exceptional, as they are a species well adapted to shallow waterThey found it surprising that he stayed in such a crowded area.
Its presence astonished tourists and Venice themselves, so much so that they gave the cetacean a name: Mimo, although it is not yet known whether it is female or male.
Local authorities have requested Stay away from the animal at least 50 meters To the boats that roam the lake, as well as to the gondolas loaded with tourists or to Vapority“Water buses” that travel through the city’s canals.
The Coast Guard is tracking the animal and asking citizens to report sightings at points other than where it has already been seen, such as San Marcos, Giudecca or Lido Island. Mizan explains that this happens while Mimmo waits to leave the Venetian lagoon to return to the high seas, either on his own or to eventually be reunited with his family.
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