A pod of grampus griseus dolphins, also known as Risso's dolphin, was spotted on Saturday off the coast of Eilat, according to a report from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA).
This discovery, made by fisherman Eric Torgman, was reported to marine inspector Omri Omessi. Torgman reported a group of approximately 10 dolphins swimming close to the water's surface by the Israeli-Egyptian border.
Local marine life experts were already aware of the existence of this pod, according to the INPA, and they are easily recognizable due to easily-visible identification marks on some pod members' dorsal fins.
Per the INPA, all marine mammals are considered protected species in Israel; citizens who encounter them in their natural habitat are encouraged to give them a wide berth and do not try to feed them or come into contact with them. People who encounter a wild animal in distress can call the *3639 hotline.
Other dolphin visits to Israel
Marine inspectors at Yam Ataf Nature Reserve in early March had the pleasure of making new friends under the sea.
"The common dolphin is an endangered species in the Mediterranean Sea," said Avitar Ben Avi, one of the inspectors. "Israel's coasts have been defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as important for common dolphins. I was happy to have documented some of them."
Dolphin involvement in Israel's military
Israeli security forces used a dolphin to chase Hamas frogman commandos off the coast of the Gaza Strip, the terrorist organization claimed on Monday, according to a January 2022 report by Al-Quds.
During an operation that occurred at an unstated time, Hamas naval operatives were chased into the sea by a dolphin equipped with a device capable of killing the terrorist group's frogmen, an Al-Qassam brigades naval commandos spokesperson revealed in a video.
"Killer Zionist dolphins exist, according to a Hamas publication," tweeted Joe Truzman, research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Long War Journal. "Abu Hamza explains that a member of Hamas' Frogman unit who was killed by Israel during the May conflict found the killer dolphin. The device the alleged killer dolphin was wearing is shown in the publication."
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