In response to a number of recent enquiries, we are happy to report that Dusty is alive & well and still resident in the fair county Clare. Since mid-July she has been fairly settled in one of her previous favourite haunts at the White Strand beach at Spanish Point. Sometimes she hangs out at one of the neighbouring beaches but Clare County Council have once again done dolphin followers a great service, this time by introducing a red flag system for the dolphin. This is supposed to warn people off from swimming with Dusty, but we are amused to learn that instead it is being used by local residents and visitors as a useful messaging system to alert them that she is in residence and it's time to get the wetsuits out!
White Strand is next to a particularly unbeautiful campsite and could not be described as a scenic location, unlike many of Dusty's previous haunts, but it does have the benefit of easy and safe access to the water for the dolphin's human friends, and it seems to us far from coincidental that she has chosen to stay somewhere where she is guaranteed plenty of action and companionship.
As a result, Dusty has had increasing attention from boats of all kinds this summer, including some running dolphin trips from nearby ports, as well as the dreaded jet-skis, but she seems to be taking it in her stride and is still equally interested in interacting with swimmers and divers. In short, she is on good form and the craic is mighty.
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