By Jane Bardon BBC News Online

The cross-channel adventures of Georges, the Cherbourg dolphin, known as Flipper in Weymouth, have raised the question: Are we endangering friendly dolphins by encouraging them to make contact?

The World Society for the Protection of Animals made fruitless attempts in May to coax Georges out of Weymouth harbour back into French waters, because he was sustaining injuries from boat propellers.

And then the dolphin, who had delighted local children allowing them to touch and swim with him, left of his own accord.

Dony swam with people off Kerry before going to Cherbourg

Graham Timmins and Keith Buchanan have documented their experiences of swimming with lone 'friendly' bottlenose dolphins for more than 12 years off Ireland's west coast on their site irishdolphins.com.

Graham said the unsuccessful attempts to herd Georges out of Weymouth show we cannot make the choices for dolphins on where they live and who they choose to interact with.

It already appears his records and photographs of at least four friendly dolphins - Dony off County Kerry, Dusty off County Clare, Fungie in Dingle Bay and Sandy in Galway Bay, have helped build up an interesting picture of how far social dolphins can travel.

Dusty the Fanore dolphin plays with a diver

Graham was amazed to discover Georges was the same dolphin he had been swimming with and had photographed as Dony earlier this year.

He acknowledged he is an enthusiastic amateur, not a scientist. But while he said he would not either advise or warn against people swimming with dolphins, he felt certain doing so with care posed them no harm.

"It is obvious that these dolphins relish human company and want to interact with us.

"Even if there are about 30 people in the water none of them can get near if the dolphin doesn't want them to."

'Caution'

Erich Hoyt, a senior research associate with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society said he would not advise people to swim with sociable dolphins - primarily for their own safety.

Dusty was not bothered by crowds of swimmers

Often either lone males or young dolphins which have been ostracised from their pod, they are very strong, unpredictable wild animals, he said. And tides and currents pose an even greater risk.

"I recognise that people have had some wonderful adventures with lone, sociable dolphins, but some have also had frightening experiences. It is a potentially loaded situation."

And he added: "When resident populations are already suffering in other ways, like the dolphins in the Moray Firth (in Scotland), whose numbers are declining, you don't want to put them under additional stress."

Graham Timmins said he is concerned about some boat-based dolphin watching operations in Ireland.

In summer the numerous boats chasing Fungie can turn Dingle Bay into a "circus," he said.

Fungie off County Kerry: Curious as cameraman

But Mr Hoyt said boat-based dolphin watching does not threaten dolphins as long "as tour operators are well regulated and they show due care".

Geoff and Sue Magee built their Dolphinwatch business, one of two which take about 15,000 people a year onto the Shannon estuary on the basis of treating the dolphins with respect.

A former fisherman, Geoff was among the local interested parties who helped to persuade the government to designate the estuary - home to Ireland's largest resident population of about 100 bottlenose dolphins - as the country's first Special Area of Conservation for dolphins under the EU Habitats Directive.

Geoff and Suzanne Magee observe dolphinwatch code of conduct

He places a lot of importance on "not invading the dolphins' space" and also focuses his educational trips on the birdlife and geology of the Loop Head cliffs.

He motors out to where he believes the dolphins are, and leaves it up to them to choose whether to swim towards the boat.

Geoff has observed his own dolphinwatch code for many years.

Meanwhile, Simon Berrow helped to set up the Shannon Dolphin and Wildlife Foundation and an accreditation scheme and code of conduct for dolphin watching boats which ensures they do not harass or chase the dolphins.

Dr Berrow said there is scope in the Shannon to develop a "sustainable" dolphin watching industry which will generate income for the local community while making sure the dolphins are not stressed by too many boat contact hours.

"Marine sites are very different from land sites where you can put up a fence to keep the cows in and the people out," he said.

"So I would like to see every site in Ireland having a management committee like this. That is the way forward."