Monkey Mia

- 25.794722222222113.71722222222Koordinaten: 25 ° 47 ' 41 "S, 113 ° 43 ' 2" O

The beach of Monkey Mia on the northeast large peninsula Shark Bay, Western Australia, most of which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is famous for the wild dolphins that repeatedly come in the morning at the beach to be fed from the hand.

Ranger of the Western Australian Conservation Authority monitor the spectacle and support the Visitor Center, established in 2001, the inform to video films, permanent exhibitions and literature on the lives of dolphins.

The origin of the " affigen " name of the bay is unknown.

The resort to the dolphin feeding

The story of Monkey Mia began in the 1960s, began as a local fisherman, occasionally passing by bottlenose dolphins ( bottlenose dolphins ) to feed on fish wastes. Gradually, the animals accustomed to the feeding and appeared regularly in the early morning and in the morning hours near the beach.

Having gathered more and more onlookers here, began in the 80s, the systematic tourism marketing this action by creating the necessary infrastructure. Today's extensive resort consists of an apartment complex with sports facilities, a restaurant and a backpacker section with camping cabins. There is also a very small for the size of the resort area for tents.

If - mostly in the morning at 8 clock - the first dolphins are spotted on the beach, terminate the rangers via loudspeaker systems to the impending feeding. Usually six to eight dolphins come by, but in exceptional cases are already over 20 have been seen at one time. The rangers, they recognize their different dorsal fins and have given them names.

While seasonal knee-deep approx 100-400 tourists standing in the water, explains a Ranger - via loudspeaker - the identity of the animals and reported about 20 minutes on recent experiences with them. Then other Ranger appear with 2-3 small buckets full of fish; now have to get out all the tourists out of the water and stand on the beach. From the Rangers selected tourists then allowed to feed the dolphins. At no time can enjoy the sight or touch, as this disease can be transmitted to the dolphins the dolphins.

The glasses pelicans are fed with fish pieces on top beach end the same time with the dolphins. To prevent the rangers that the pelicans try to get to the dolphin feeding and thereby attack the tourists.

During the morning, there are usually one or two more feedings, depending on whether and how many dolphins come again. These feedings are usually less frequented, as most tourists join in the first action in the early morning and continue on afterwards.

The resort advertises a " hit rate " of 99.6 %, in other words, within two years it had only two " dolphin free" given days.

Attractions in the area

• A 1.5 km long trail behind the resort leads to a bird observatory.
• Boat trips are organized to the dolphins in the wild ( at sea ) and observing dugongs, tiger sharks, sea turtles and whales.
• The most important place in the region is the former Perlfischerdorf Denham, which is also the administrative center of the Shire of Shark Bay.
• The Denham leading to the resort and there ended Monkey Mia Road runs along the southern edge of the Francois Peron National Park. The bushland with rust-red sand dunes nature reserve for many endangered species.
• The Shell Beach from millions of cockles the type Fragum erugatum is located about 40km south of Monkey Mia
• A further 30 km to the south lies the Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve. At the telegraph station in 1884 a small museum, which also houses the stromatolites at Hamelin Pool is located a few steps away are explained: in the bay forming microorganisms still like billions before two or three years, small mushroom-shaped rock. This phenomenon, which was probably one of the first forms of life on Earth, can be observed only rarely.