Idiotic tourists have ignored warnings to stay away from a viral bottlenose dolphin who could harm or even kill someone. 

Adults and young children gathered around the lone male dolphin, officially named Reggie, despite urgent warnings to maintain a safe distance to protect both themselves and the dolphin. 

Reggie captured hearts when he joined swimmers for an early morning dip this month, having become a frequent sight in Lyme Bay, Dorset. 

He arrived at the area on his own in February, before suffering a nasty gash in July – an injury believed to have been caused by a boat propellor.

After a video of Reggie swimming with a family went viral, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) held an urgent online session advising against any contact with the dolphin. 

Meanwhile, UK marine conservation charity ORCA said someone could even be killed by the dolphin if it becomes aggressive. 

However, disregarding these cautions, new footage has surfaced showing uninformed tourists paddling near Reggie, including young children in the water while adults remain on their boards. 

Crowds of holidaymakers have flocked to the waters in recent weeks for a chance to get close to the dancing dolphin. 

The new video, posted on Facebook, was captured on Friday evening and shows the animal circling around and swimming dangerously close to humans.  

New footage has emerged showing ignorant tourists paddling next to viral dolphin Reggie, with young children in the water 

The tourists have ignored warnings to stay away from the bottlenose dolphin, who could harm or even kill someone 

The dolphin, who is visibly injured and has gashes on its side, was seen circling around tourists on Friday evening

One commenter on the video warned the dolphin is probably showing an increased interest in people due to hunger. 

‘When animals become interested in us it normally means they are hungry and malnourished and in search of food,’ they wrote. 

An observer who saw the tourists crowd around Reggie commented, ‘We visited last night and watched from the shore. It was surprising to see around 20 paddleboarders, all chasing the dolphin and not giving him space.’

‘Yes it’s magical for everyone to be up close but seriously have a word with yourselves.’ 

Liz Sandeman, co-founder of the Marine Connection Charity, previously highlighted that as Reggie’s interaction with humans continues, the risk to people will likely increase.  

She stated, ‘This is the most severe case in 20 years in the UK of a dolphin rapidly becoming accustomed to human interactions, with growing risks to both the dolphin and people in the water with him over time.’ 

Meanwhile, the MMO issued a similarly stark warning, telling the Mail the dolphin could already be habituated to humans – a change that ‘can be fatal’.

Jess Churchill-Bissett, head of marine conservation (wildlife) at MMO, said: ‘Repeated human interaction inevitably disrupt their natural behaviours, increasing stress and potentially altering their temperament. 

‘Once habituated to humans, dolphins can lose their natural wariness, a change that can be fatal. This is something we could already be seeing in Lyme Bay.

The solitary bottlenose dolphin, believed to be a young male, has gone viral after adorable footage emerged of it excitedly playing with a family and asking for belly rubs in Lyme Bay, Dorset, on August 3 

The dolphin seen frolicking with swimmers in Lyme Bay has nasty injuries, likely caused by a boat propellor 

Marine Management Organisation shared concerns for the safety of the sea creatures and urged tourists to stay away from the animals in a recent Facebook post

 The playful dolphin appeared to dance in the water as it performed for its awestruck audience

‘They are also known to have become aggressive in cases and have attacked and injured people.’

The dolphin is believed to have arrived in February but from May, the MMO directly observed people intentionally approaching the mammal too closely. 

Experts and cetacean charities agreed collectively to name the dolphin Reggie, the Mail previously revealed. 

Describing the video of her family playing with the dolphin, Mrs MacDonald previously said: ‘Out of nowhere, the dolphin immediately approached us and wanted to join in on the action.

‘It was friendly and playful. It even started guiding members of our group along the water with its beak.’

Bottlenose dolphins are native to Britain and there are estimated to be 700 around the coast, usually swimming in pods. They reach up to 13ft in length and can weigh up to 650kg.

Dolphins, along with whales and other porpoises, are protected by law under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and approaching or recklessly disturbing a dolphin can result in up to six months in prison as well as an unlimited fine.

Lucy Babey, director of programmes for UK marine conservation charity ORCA, told the Mail that although dolphins may elicit fun and excitement on the surface, they pose a big risk to humans.

She said: ‘They are powerful marine mammals and have been known to seriously injure people, even if unintentionally through a thrash of the tail or butting people with their beak.

‘In some case the dolphins behaviour has escalated, become erratic and more serious injuries have occurred. There have been incidents around the world where the dolphin’s behaviour has escalated to harassment and people have unfortunately been killed.

‘Unfortunately these dolphins can become habituated through prolonged human interactions which increases the risk of injury and brings about welfare concerns for the animal. There are several cases where the dolphins sought out boats, associating them with humans, but sadly resulting in propellor injuries and death.’