Why You Need to Volunteer with the Monkey Mia Dolphins

Have you ever experienced a moment so amazing that you’re almost bursting with excitement, but you’re forced to keep a calm facade? It’s not easy to stay cool when you want to just grin like an idiot. That’s exactly how I felt the first time I waded into the turquoise waters of Shark Bay to help with the dolphin interaction. I was volunteering with the dolphin experience program for a week, and what a week it was. The Monkey Mia dolphins have become famous in Australia, and for good reason.

I mean, who wouldn’t freak out when a wild dolphin is swimming around your legs (and occasionally brushing up against them)?

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How the Monkey Mia Dolphin Interaction started

The Monkey Mia dolphins are legendary – a renowned tourist attraction ever since the local fishermen started sharing their catch with them in the 1960s. Several decades and generations later, the dolphins of Shark Bay still visit the beach most mornings. However, nowadays the process is a lot more controlled. Thank god too, because the health and mortality rates of the local dolphin population were reaching dangerous levels before the Department of Conservation and Environment (DEC) stepped in.

So when I got the chance to volunteer with the Monkey Mia dolphins, how could I say no? Although much of the work is not glamorous (think chopping up fish, sweeping a lot of sand off boardwalks, washing windows), I will admit to feeling a certain smugness when I could step past the waiting crowd into the water with those all-important, fish-filled buckets. Having a crowd of hundred-plus people all staring at you with jealous eyes is actually kind of a nice feeling.

What is not a nice feeling, however, is those same hundred-plus people staring at you when it comes to picking the lucky few who get to feed one of the dolphins a fish.

Getting to know the Monkey Mia dolphins

One of my favourite things about volunteering here was discovering how each dolphin had a wildly different personality, and their relationships to one another. Puck is very reliable and will often brush against you or poke you gently with her rostrum (that’s their nose). Piccolo, Puck’s daughter, likes to play with her food. If she does take a fish (which she often doesn’t), she’ll scoop it up from the water and leave it hanging from her mouth for a while, almost like she’s pretending she caught it herself. Then there’s Surprise, who was named because she tends to appear out of nowhere. The final dolphin in the experience program is Shock, Surprise’s daughter. She doesn’t come all that often, but it’s nice when she does. If you’re lucky, other dolphins will come to hang out too, including some very boisterous young males, led by the cocky India.

Feeding the Monkey Mia Dolphins

The dolphins can be fed up to three times between 8 and 12 each day. Sometimes they come once, sometimes three times. Sometimes they all come, sometimes only one or two. A big part of being a volunteer is keeping an eye out for when they appear. It’s very important to remember that these are wild animals and are therefore unpredictable and not living by our schedules. I don’t know how many times I was asked ‘when’s the next feeding?’ and I had to reply ‘when the dolphins decide!’.

Over 100,000 visitors come to Monkey Mia on the Western Australian coast every year. This huge rise in numbers is what led to the ‘no-touch’ policy with the dolphins. As the rangers say to those who ask why – would you like a hundred thousand strangers touching you? Didn’t think so. They also keep a strict feeding regime, only giving the dolphins a tiny portion of what they eat each day, and only in the mornings too, so that the dolphins spend the majority of their time out in the bay being, well, being dolphins. After seeing so many zoos and nature parks that are all about the tourists’ experience, it’s so refreshing to find a place where the animals are put first.

Keeping the Dolphins wild

So if you ever hear of people talking about how they got to touch, play or swim with these dolphins and think ‘wow, I can’t wait to do that!’, don’t. These people are either wildly exaggerating or, worse, actually did these things in complete disregard for the instructions of the staff and the welfare of the animals. This is not SeaWorld. I did on occasion see dolphins approaching people swimming by the beach. If this happens, just enjoy the moment. Stay still, don’t move towards them, don’t try to touch them. Just appreciate this amazing experience that they are allowing you to have.

If coming up close to beautiful wild dolphins isn’t enough for you, there are loads of other things to do in Monkey Mia. I got the chance to go out on three sailing cruises, during two of which we found some of Shark Bay’s large population of dugongs (another one ticked off my animal bucket list!), as well as turtles and rays. Then there was the sunset cruise, which was gorgeous even if the sunset the night before had been even better! The Francois Peron National Park is right next door, too, although most of it is 4WD only.

One thing I’ll never forget about volunteering here is the joy and gratitude of those who did get picked to feed the dolphins. From shy young kids gripping tightly to their mom’s hand to older couples and everyone in between, the smiles were always the same. When they come up to you afterwards to say thank you, it’s such a wonderful feeling to know you were able to share the experience with them. After chatting to one couple for a while, I even got an invitation to spend Christmas with them! And the fun I had with the other volunteers too. Our group of Irish, English, Australian and French, whether it was sweeping the never-ending sand off the boardwalks, taking silly pictures when no one was looking, or trying desperately to keep the pelicans (including the very special Rogue) away from the dolphins’ fish, we were always happy to do it.

I highly recommend volunteering with the Monkey Mia dolphins if you ever get the chance. I had just as good a time as the last volunteer project I worked on – monitoring rock wallabies in the Blue Mountains. You don’t need experience, or qualifications, just be willing to pitch in and help with whatever needs doing, and not expect to spend all your time playing with beautiful dolphins. Oh, and the ability to hold in that burst of excitement, even a little – that helps too.

To find out more about volunteering at Monkey Mia, visit the Shark Bay website. They give a great run down of all the information you’ll need about your time in the area.

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Interacting with wildlife responsibly:

Never, EVER feed wildlife.

Enticing wildlife with food not only puts yourself in danger, but can lead to wildlife learning to depend on humans to survive or becoming more aggressive – neither of which are a good thing. Human food can also be dangerous to animals, making them ill or malnourished.

Mind your food and dispose of scraps properly.

Feeding wildlife can occur accidentally too, if left unattended or not thrown away correctly. When camping, hiking, or just out in nature, store any snacks or food in proper containers, and don’t leave food lying around unwatched. Even if you think there are no animals around, there probably are. And never leave food next to a rubbish bin. If the bins are full or you can’t find one, take it with you. Don’t be lazy!

Keep your distance.

Wildlife is unpredictable. Unless you’re very familiar with animal behaviour, it can be hard to tell how wildlife is reacting to a situation. Just because an animal looks calm, doesn’t mean it is. Certain times of the year have added dangers, such as mating seasons. Animals can be even more aggressive or volatile during these times, so extra caution is necessary. There have been too many instances of tourists getting too close to wildlife and getting injured, which usually leads to negative consequences for the animal as well.

Don’t touch.

If you’re lucky enough that an animal approaches you of their own free will, please don’t try to pat them. They’re not pets, they don’t enjoy it and it can spook them into doing something aggressive. Your touch can also be dangerous to some animals, particularly marine wildlife who have very sensitive skin. Whales, dolphins and sea turtles can be harmed by the chemicals often found on our skin from lotions, suncream and insect repellent.

Always be aware of your surroundings.

Many wildlife encounters become dangerous simply because the human wasn’t paying attention. When out in nature, always listen out for wildlife, don’t wear headphones, make noise and travel in groups if possible.

Stay calm.

Always important. If you’re surprised by wildlife, remain calm and don’t run. While the original intention of the animal is probably not to hunt, suddenly running or moving away may cause their chase instincts to kick in. Stay facing them and back away slowly. 

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