Dolphin Dave David Jiménez cited for molesting a whale
After posting a video of himself molesting a humpback whale, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) cited David Jiménez, 65, with two wildlife violations.
According to the department, Jiménez refers to himself as “Dolphin Dave” on Facebook.
On March 5, Hawaii wildlife officials received video of a man later identified as Jiménez snorkeling at Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park, close enough to an adolescent humpback whale that he could almost touch the whale’s fin.
When an official from the Division of Conservation and Resources Environment (DOCARE) went into the park to begin the investigation, they spotted Jiménez again in the water, allegedly stalking a pod of spinner dolphins. Officials took him as evidence while snorkeling with the dolphins.
Whales and dolphins are protected by state and federal laws of Hawaii.
Officials sued Jiménez for two violations of Hawaii administrative regulations: prohibited acts related to endangered whale species and harassment of wildlife at a state park.
While officials spoke to Jiménez about wildlife rules and cited him with the violations, he told officials “he won’t stop swimming with whales and dolphins because it’s magical and others are doing much worse things,” the press release said by DLNR.
Jiménez is due to report to Kona District Court in May 2023.
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https://lawandcrime.com/crime/man-who-calls-himself-dolphin-dave-cited-for-harassing-humpback-whale/ Dolphin Dave David Jiménez cited for molesting a whale