Drone footage of a school of dolphins chasing a shark way from the shoreline of Plettenberg Bay is circulating on social media.
The two-minute video was posted earlier this week and depicts dozens of dolphins engaging with the predator and actively herding it into deeper waters.
At first, only two dolphins can be seen flanking the fish and coaxing it away from the shore.
However, as the shark maintains its course, more dolphins join the fray until the fish is overwhelmed and forced to swim in the opposite direction.
Video, shared by xmierx on YouTube:
Also watch: Dolphins chase shark from Plettenberg Bay
This video comes after footage of orcas pursuing, capturing and incapacitating great white sharks near Mosselbay was also shared on social media this week. Additionally, it has resurfaced in the wake of a shark attack incident and multiple shark sightings in Plettenberg Bay this month.
Lead author and a shark scientist at Rhodes University, Alison Towner, said at least two, possibly three great white sharks were killed by a group of killer whales on May 16 in Mossel Bay in 71 minutes. The video was filmed by author Christiaan Stopforth, a hobbyist drone pilot using a private drone which observed the five killer whales for about 40 minutes.
Note: To villainize sharks is both a mistake and ignorant, and various organisations have done their utmost to educate individuals on these natural predators.
Research credit: Alison Towner / Alison Kock / Simon Elwen
Video: another shallow shark sighting in Plettenberg Bay
This is the first time that such behaviour has been documented locally, leaving researchers concerned about the impacts on ocean ecosystems and the shark population.
Previous studies indicated that when orcas were observed in an area, great white sharks often left the scene and would not return for months, illustrating a flight response in the apex predator when faced with a new, stronger apex predator – the orca.
Watch more (n0t for sensitive viewers): Orcas caught on camera hunting, catching great white shark
The paper, published in the Ecological Society of America’s journal, Ecology, details direct observations on the predation of hunting strategies used by orcas to capture and kill great white sharks and the subsequent behavioural impact on surviving great whites in the area.
If you would like to learn more or looking to donate in order to help spread awareness through education programmes, Save our Seas: Shark Education Centre is a great place to start.
- Website: www.saveourseas.com
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Picture: Screenshot / YouTube