SECTION 2:
INTERVIEWER: Today we’re pleased to have on the show Alice Bussell from the Dolphin Conservation Trust. Tell us about the Trust, Alice.
ALICE: Well, obviously its purpose is to protect dolphins in seas all around the world. It tries to raise people’s awareness of the problems these marine creatures are suffering because of pollution and other threats. It started ten years ago and it’s one of the fastest-growing animal charities in the country—although it’s still fairly small compared with the big players in animal protection. We are particularly proud of the work we do in education—last year we visited a huge number of schools in different parts of the country, going round to talk to children and young people aged from five to eighteen. In fact, about thirty-five per cent of our members are children. The charity uses its money to support campaigns—for example, for changes in fishing policy and so forth. It hopes soon to be able to employ its first full-time biologist—with dolphin expertise—to monitor populations. Of course, many people give their services on a voluntary basis and we now have volunteers working in observation, office work and other things.
I should also tell you about the award we won from the Charity Commission last year—for our work in education. Although it’s not meant an enormous amount of money for us, it has made our activities even more widely publicised and understood. In the long term it may not bring in extra members but we’re hoping it’ll have this effect.
INTERVIEWER: Is it possible to see dolphins in UK waters?
ALICE: Yes. In several locations. And we have a big project in the east part of Scotland. This has long been a haven for dolphins because it has very little shipping. However, that may be about to change soon because oil companies want to increase exploration there. We’re campaigning against this because, although there’ll be little pollution from oil, exploration creates a lot of underwater noise. It means the dolphins can’t rest and socialise.
This is how I became interested in dolphin conservation in the first place. I had never seen one and I hadn’t been particularly interested in them at school. Then I came across this story about a family of dolphins who had to leave their home in the Moray Firth because of the oil companies and about a child who campaigned to save them. I couldn’t put the book down—I was hooked.
INTERVIEWER: I’m sure our listeners will want to find out what they can do to help. You mentioned the ‘Adopt a Dolphin’ scheme. Can you tell us about that?
ALICE: Of course! People can choose one of our dolphins to sponsor. They receive a picture of it and news updates. I’d like to tell you about four which are currently being adopted by our members: Moondancer, Echo, Kiwi and Samson. Unfortunately, Echo is being rather elusive this year and hasn’t yet been sighted by our observers but we remain optimistic that he’ll be out there soon. All the others have been out in force—Samson and Moondancer are often photographed together but it is Kiwi who’s our real ‘character’ as she seems to love coming up close for the cameras and we’ve captured her on film hundreds of times. They all have their own personalities—Moondancer is very elegant and curves out and into the water very smoothly, whereas Samson has a lot of energy—he’s always leaping out of the water with great vigour. You’d probably expect him to be the youngest—he’s not quite—that’s Kiwi—but Samson’s the latest of our dolphins to be chosen for the scheme. Kiwi makes a lot of noise so we can often pick her out straightaway. Echo and Moondancer are noisy too, but Moondancer’s easy to find because she has a particularly large fin on her back, which makes her easy to identify. So, yes, they’re all very different…
INTERVIEWER: Well, they sound a fascinating group…
VOCABULARY
- marine creatures /məˈriːn ˈkriːtʃərz/ (n) – Animals that live in the sea.
SYN: sea animals, aquatic life
Example: Pollution is a significant threat to marine creatures like dolphins and whales. - threat /θrɛt/ (n) – Something that can cause harm or danger.
SYN: danger, risk
Example: Pollution poses a serious threat to the survival of many dolphin species. - biologist /baɪˈɒlədʒɪst/ (n) – A scientist who studies living things.
SYN: life scientist, ecologist
Example: The trust hopes to hire a biologist with dolphin expertise to monitor their population. - expertise /ˌɛkspɜːˈtiːz/ (n) – Special skill or knowledge in a particular area.
SYN: skill, proficiency
Example: A biologist with expertise in marine life can help protect dolphin habitats. - observation /ˌɒbzəˈveɪʃən/ (n) – The act of watching something carefully.
SYN: monitoring, inspection
Example: Volunteers assist in observation of dolphin behavior and population trends. - Charity Commission /ˈʧærɪti kəˈmɪʃən/ (n) – An organization that regulates and supports charities.
SYN: charity regulator
Example: The Charity Commission recognized the trust for its educational work. - publicise /ˈpʌblɪsaɪz/ (v) – To make something known to many people.
SYN: promote, advertise
Example: Winning the award helped to publicise the trust’s work on dolphin conservation. - haven /ˈheɪvən/ (n) – A safe or peaceful place.
SYN: refuge, sanctuary
Example: The east part of Scotland has been a haven for dolphins due to low shipping activity. - dolphin conservation /ˈdɒlfɪn ˌkɒnsərˈveɪʃən/ (n) – The protection and preservation of dolphins and their habitats.
SYN: dolphin protection
Example: Alice became passionate about dolphin conservation after reading a book about them. - hooked /hʊkt/ (adj) – Extremely interested in or captivated by something.
SYN: fascinated, addicted
Example: Alice became completely hooked on dolphins after reading a story about their struggles. - sponsor /ˈspɒnsər/ (v) – To support a person or cause financially.
SYN: support, back
Example: Members can choose a dolphin to sponsor through the trust’s adoption scheme. - adopt /əˈdɒpt/ (v) – To take care of or support something as your own.
SYN: embrace, foster
Example: The trust encourages people to adopt a dolphin and receive updates about it. - elusive /ɪˈluːsɪv/ (adj) – Difficult to find or catch.
SYN: hard-to-find, evasive
Example: Echo has been rather elusive this year, making it hard to spot him. - optimistic /ˌɒptɪˈmɪstɪk/ (adj) – Feeling hopeful or positive about the future.
SYN: hopeful, positive
Example: The team remains optimistic that Echo will appear soon. - curve out /kɜːv aʊt/ (v) – To bend or move smoothly outward.
SYN: arc, sweep
Example: Moondancer gracefully curves out of the water when she swims. - leap out /liːp aʊt/ (v) – To jump energetically out of something.
SYN: jump, spring
Example: Samson loves to leap out of the water with great energy and excitement. - vigour /ˈvɪɡər/ (n) – Great energy, enthusiasm, or strength.
SYN: energy, vitality
Example: Samson displays incredible vigour when leaping out of the water. - fin /fɪn/ (n) – A thin, flat part of a fish or marine animal used for swimming.
SYN: flipper
Example: Moondancer is easy to identify because of her particularly large fin.