DOLPHIN CENTRAL

MORETON ISLAND IS WORLD FAMOUS FOR THE VISITORS WHO COME TO BE HANDFED

Wild dolphins swim the beach at Tangalooma each night nudging the legs of their human feeders who line up in shallow waters to hand feed a few fish eats to the evening drop-ins.

It’s been a ritual for many years and has gained the resort on environmentally acclaimed Moreton Island National Park the international moniker Dolphin Island.

With its waters full of marine life, from turtles, dolphins, stingrays and dugongs to migrating whales, its stunning environment nudging Brisbane is also a backdrop for romance.

Just ask Tangalooma’s authoritative dolphin lady, Sue Hassard.

She is one of a handful of enthusiastic long-term workers at Tangalooma who have made it a lifestyle choice.

Sue (pictured below) is now the eco ranger and manager of the Eco Centre’s wild dolphin feeding program.

It’s become her passion and a lifestyle endeavour after first setting foot on the island 22 years ago.

“I met my husband Trevor here in 1997,” she says.

“I first came as a tourist.”

Sue was a Sydney girl with a developing interest in marine life, especially dolphins and whales.

And it was the dolphins that brought her here on what was intended to be a brief visit.

“My sister told me Tangalooma was where I could feed dolphins and we did a weekend trip,” she said.

“Trevor was in charge of the dolphin feeding program.”

The first night no wild dolphins dropped by the jetty and beach and Sue began talking to Trevor about his work and marine animal behaviour .

For Brisbane lad Trevor the island’s unspoiled qualities meant he often came across Moreton Bay as a boy to explore.

Sue too got the Tangalooma state of mind. A few months later she packed her bags and left Sydney for the island.

“I simply thought I’d give it a go. It was exciting, fun. Marine animals, environment were always important to me,” she said.

Sue spent time behind the camera lens taking photos of tourists at play before joining the dolphin feeding team – her dream job.

A Moreton Bay pod of 13 dolphins drop by – whether they all do or don’t it’s their choice, some nights it’s only five or six.

They are not dependent on the handfeeding – what they get fed is only a small percentage of their daily intake. Dolphins are discerning diners and only good quality fish is fed to them. No touching or petting is allowed.

The program ensures that the dolphins remain wild creatures and that there is no impact on their natural behaviours.

If a school of mullet swim through near the jetty the shallow waters erupt in a thrashing, washing machine-like frenzy as the dolphins give chase.

And when there is a lot of fish in the bay some dolphins have exhibited playful behaviour by bringing a gift of a fish.

Sue and the staff always check their dolphins for signs of injury or ill health, knowing that they could be entangled in fishing line or have digested plastic bags.

Around 600 to 800 bottle nose dolphins are believed to call the waters of Moreton Bay home.

For Sue and her team the conservation and environmental message is a strong motivator. And the awareness of visitors to the island is increased by an emotional experience that can leave some tearful.