Irish Star Dolphin Concern: Where's Fungie?

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Southwest coast of Ireland: Dolphin Fungie swims next to a boat with tourists (archive image)

Photo: dpa

Many Irish have been missing their famous dolphin for days.

The animal named Fungie suddenly appeared 37 years ago in the bay of the port city of Dingle on the south-west coast of the country - and has lived there ever since.

Usually dolphins travel in groups.

The 400-kilo fungie preferred life in the bay and attracted many tourists.

According to the "Guinness Book of Records", it is the oldest solitary dolphin in the world.

The animal disappeared about a week ago.

Fishermen, divers and organizers of boat tours are now intensely looking for him - they fear that he is dead.

Fungie is thought to be around 45 years old, a marine biologist told Irish broadcaster RTE.

Such animals live to be 45 to 50 years old, according to the report.

Other experts also consider it possible that the dolphin felt disturbed by strange animals in the bay and therefore disappeared.

Fungie had gone for jaunts before, but was only gone for a few hours.

The dolphin, a bottlenose dolphin, has often made contact with people, reported locals to the British broadcaster BBC.

He brought the port city additional income through tourism.

There is even a statue of the dolphin at the harbor.

For Nuala Moore, an extreme swimmer from Dingle, Fungie is a "training partner".

Since childhood, the dolphin has accompanied her swimming in cold water, the woman told the BBC.

For them it was simply a "wonderful feeling" to hear another living being breathing while swimming in the sea in winter.

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wit / dpa