This Dolphin Visited The Same Town For 37 Years Before Disappearing – Now Experts May Know Why

The people of Dingle are distraught; it’s been two weeks now, and an old friend is still missing from the small Irish town. On October 13, 2020, the individual named Fungie was spotted for what would prove to be the last time. Now a fortnight later, things are looking bleak. After spending 37 long years in Dingle, it seems that this famous bottlenose dolphin has vanished for good.

The Dingle residents’ reaction to Fungie’s disappearance shows just how fond they were of this beautiful dolphin. All this time after he was last spotted and people are still sailing out to sea in search of him. And along the shoreline, people are scanning the horizon with the help of binoculars. But there’s just no sign of him.

Kevin Flannery operates the Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium, so he’s more than familiar with Fungie’s presence in the village’s waters. But the marine biologist was clearly worried when he spoke to The New York Times. Flannery explained that Fungie had disappeared in the past – but never for more than a couple of days. The scientist added, “He was very reliable. This doesn’t look good.”

Dingle is located in County Kerry, which is itself situated in the southwest of Ireland. Before Fungie, Kerry at large was a big tourist spot, but Dingle specifically was often overlooked. But the village was transformed when a dolphin started showing up in the harbor. People flocked there to catch a glimpse of him, and a whole tourism industry was born as a result.

But the loss of Fungie isn’t just about falling tourism revenues. Caroline Boland from the Dingle Peninsula Tourism Alliance told The New York Times, “What’s happening here is a bereavement. People are devastated to think he might be gone. It’s like a member of the family dying. He brought magic, and he inspired us – this beautiful wild creature who lived at the mouth of the harbor.”