Scubaism

The problem with Dave the Dolphin is that he looks just like his relatives who pull smiling children around sunlit pools in America. He turned up a year ago in the waters off Sandgate, near Folkestone, Kent, and stayed - to the delight of crowds who have gathered on the beach each day this summer.

Swimmers pat him on the head while others give him a hug and Dave responds with a dolphiny smile. But after reports that a father tried to put his little boy on the animal’s back for a ride, Kent police have stepped in.

Dave is still wild and unpredictable, they warn - not like dolphins who have been trained in how to handle humans. There have been reports of him trying to stop swimmers from leaving the water when games are over.

And the danger of putting a child on his back is that he is likely to head miles out to sea.

“There are fears that as Dave becomes used to human contact, he actually becomes a danger. In similar cases, dolphins start to display their dominance and that is when there is a likelihood of injury,” said PC Andy Small of Kent police.

“There have also been reports of small craft getting close to Dave and, as his natural fear of human contact diminishes, the chance of him being struck by a boat or propeller increases.”

Officers are now keeping an eye on the beach, warning Dave’s growing army of admirers that it is illegal to intentionally harass a dolphin. And that he might hit back.