Itchy dolphin finds relief on boat bow

A dolphin with an itch in a hard to reach place has shown some Kiwi ingenuity by scratching itself on a passing boat.

The playful bottlenose dolphin was swimming in the Pelorus Sound, in the Marlborough Sounds, when it came unusually close to the Pelorus Mail Boat.

Mail boat skipper Jim Baillie said he had never seen anything like it before - the dolphin coming within millimetres of the bow.

‘‘We were on our mail run, we slowed down, we were on a fixed route and the next thing you know the dolphin was scratching itself on the bow,’’ Baillie said.

‘‘We just maintained our direction and our speed at 5 knots to ensure the dolphin’s safety and the dolphin just continued scratching itself on the back.’’

The Pelorus Mail Boat takes tourists for a cruise of the Pelorus Sounds as it delivers mail and groceries to residents six daysa-week in summer, and three daysa-week in winter.

Department of Conservation marine technical advisor Andrew Baxter said it was common for dolphins to ‘‘bow ride’’, but not common for them to actually rub against the boat.

It was more common for dolphins to ride the pressure waves created from the bow, Baxter said.

‘‘We can only surmise they are doing it to enjoy the sensation or perhaps scratch an itch but essentially we don’t know.

‘‘This situation reinforces the need for skippers of boats to keep a watchful eye for dolphins and maintain a slow and steady speed and course when dolphins are present as demonstrated by the Pelorus Mail Boat,’’ Baxter said.

Pelorus Jack was a dolphin world-renowned for escorting ships through the Pelorus Sound into Cook Strait between 1880 and World War 1.

However the white risso’s dolphin, also known as Kaikaiawaro by iwi, avoided the SS Penguin for several months after it reportedly struck and scarred him in 1905.