Ia ora na tātou,

My co-authors and I are happy to share our recent publication in Applied Animal 
Behaviour Science:

Carzon P., Clua É., & Delfour F. (2024). Individual variation of boldness in 
free-ranging bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) interacting with scuba 
divers in French Polynesia. AABS, 281, 106426
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106426


Abstract

Marine wildlife tourism is known to affect target species across multiple 
spatial and temporal scales, from short-term behavioral responses to changes in 
relative abundance and habitat use patterns. However, despite a growing number 
of population-, community-, and group-level studies, a limited number of them 
have focused their research on individual responses to wildlife tourism, 
particularly on free-ranging cetaceans. Between 2018 and 2020, we investigated 
the behavioral responses of 20 non-provisioned bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops 
truncatus) to recreational scuba divers in Rangiroa Atoll, French Polynesia, to 
understand whether these individuals that had been repeatedly exposed to scuba 
diving tourism on at least one year exhibited temperament traits along the 
‘shyness-boldness’ axis. We also considered potential variation in boldness in 
relation to sex, age, and tourist-site fidelity. The study documented 
individual differences in the dolphins’ boldness. There was no variation in 
boldness according to sex and tourist-site fidelity, but age significantly 
influenced the dolphins’ boldness with immature dolphins being bolder than 
mature individuals. The more extreme case of boldness involved four dolphins 
that tolerated repeated physical interactions with scuba divers. In Rangiroa, 
scuba diving tourism promotes repeated intrusive interactions with dolphins 
that might make bold individuals particularly vulnerable to collateral threats 
associated with human activities. It is therefore crucial to consider 
individual variation in the dolphins’ behavioral responses to tourism to 
implement optimal tourism management measures. We suggest in the discussion 
recommendations to help minimize the risks for both the dolphins and humans 
associated with repeated close interactions.


Please contact Pamela Carzon (carzonpam...@gmail.com 
<mailto:carzonpam...@gmail.com>) if you wish a PDF copy of the article.

Sincerely,

Pamela

——

Pamela Carzon | PhD in ethology / behavioral ecology
Dauphins de Rangiroa
B.P. 12 Tiputa - 98776 Rangiroa
Polynésie française

+689 87.31.20.53

dauphinsderangi...@gmail.com

www.dauphinsderangiroa.org
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