An Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin known as "Anmogi" is rescued from waters off Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on Wednesday. [Yonhap]
An Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin known as "Anmogi" is rescued from waters off Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on Wednesday. [Yonhap]

"Anmogi," a dolphin that drew widespread attention for appearing off the coast of Gangneung and following boats, was rescued Wednesday.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries decided in mid-June to rescue the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin and had since been preparing for a safe capture and transfer.

Lured into a net pen set up at the scene, Anmogi was lifted onto a stretcher by divers and brought ashore. Ministry officials monitored the dolphin's condition on-site alongside experts. Anmogi will be transported to Ulsan, home to a whale ecology experience center, where it will receive treatment for wounds found across its body.

Believed to be a 3-to-5-year-old male, Anmogi was first spotted in the waters off Anmok Port in Gangneung last summer and has been known by that name since. The dolphin showed no fear of humans, swimming alongside vessels, pressing its body against hulls and displaying unusually friendly behavior.

While the natural habitat of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in South Korea is the coastal waters of Jeju Island, where Anmogi came from remains unclear.

Experts say Anmogi fits the description of a "solitary sociable dolphin" — a term for a dolphin that has left its pod and sought out human company. It is considered in effect the first such case in South Korea.

Dolphins are social animals that live in pods, but lone dolphins appearing near coastlines and behaving in a friendly manner toward humans have been documented around the world. A dolphin named "Dave," which appeared on British beaches in the mid-2000s, was known for approaching people freely and spending time with them.

Interaction between wild dolphins and humans carries risks, however. A dolphin accustomed to people may lose its wild instincts, making it difficult to rejoin a pod, and it can be injured by man-made structures such as fishing nets or exposed to harassment by humans. There have also been cases of dolphins injuring people.

Concerns were raised over Anmogi's unusual habit of approaching vessel propellers. Wounds with missing flesh were observed across its body, believed to have been caused by contact with the sharp blades.

The ministry had initially hoped Anmogi would leave the Gangneung waters on its own and return to a pod, but decided to intervene after experts warned the worsening wounds could prove fatal. Multiple specialists concluded that a rescue was unavoidable.

Even after Anmogi is successfully treated, the question of what to do with the dolphin remains. The ministry hopes to release Anmogi after a period of training aimed at restoring its wild instincts.

If the dolphin is deemed unable to recover those instincts and survive independently in the wild, however, it may have to spend the rest of its life at a research institution or similar facility.


eyre@heraldcorp.com