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Japanese Dolphins (Archive)
Photo: Kaname Yoneyama / picture alliance / AP
In Japan, four swimmers have reported being attacked by dolphins within one day. The attacks occurred at the popular Suishohama beach in Fukui Prefecture on the west coast of Japan.
A man suffered rib fractures and was bitten in the hand, the Japanese newspaper "Asahi Shimbun" reported. An eyewitness alerted the police. The man had been in the shallow water near the beach.
Another man was also bitten several times the same morning. He had swum together with a friend about five meters from the coast in the water when the attack occurred. Later in the day, there were two more attacks.
"If you see them, don't go into the water"
According to the police, a total of six similar attacks have already occurred this year. "If you see them, don't go into the water," the authorities warned. Last year, dolphins had already bitten humans.
According to the BBC, scientists explain the dolphins' behaviour by saying that the animals are "extremely stressed" by the swimmers.
As a result, it is no longer possible for them to follow their behavioral routines.
lmd