Let us begin with a brief account of the most recent and most 

 thoroughly documented story of a free-dweUing dolphin's social 

 interaction with human beings. This is the story of Opo, a fe- 

 male Tursiops that made its appearance early in 1955 at Opononi, 

 a small township just outside the mouth of Hokianga Harbour, 

 on the western side of the North Island of New Zealand. From 

 allowing itself at first to be rubbed with an oar or mop carried 

 on the fishermen's launches, it began to glide in near the beach 

 among the bathers. The cheerful putt-putt of a motor-launch or 

 of an outboard motor was an irresistible attraction for Opo, and 

 she would follow the boat like a dog, playing or cruising round 

 it. If she had an urge to wander, starting up the motor would 

 invariably draw her back again. Mr. Piwai Toi, a Maori farmer, 

 who was the first to observe Opo, writes, "She was really and 

 truly a children's playmate. Although she played with grown- 

 ups she was really at her charming best with a crowd of children 

 swimming and wading. I have seen her swimming amongst 

 children almost begging to be petted. She had an uncanny knack 

 of finding out those who were gentle among her young ad- 

 mirers, and keeping away from the rougher elements. If they 

 were all gentle then she would give of her best." (Antony Alpers, 

 The Dolphin, pp. 228-229.) 



The child the dolphin favored was a thirteen-year-old girl 

 named Jill Baker. At fourteen Jill wrote the following account 

 of her experience with Opo: 



"I think why the dolphin became so friendly with me was be- 

 cause I was always gentle with her and never rushed at her as 

 so many bathers did. No matter how many went in the water 

 playing with her, as soon as I went in for a swim she would 

 leave all the others and go off side-by-side with me. I remember 

 on one occasion I went for a swim much further up the beach 

 than where she was playing, and I was only in the water a short 

 while when she bobbed up just in front of my face and gave me 

 such a fright. On several other occasions when I was standing 



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