Animal lovers have been flocking to get up close to the Tay’s dolphin population.
Since the end of last month around 50 dolphins have returned to the Tay Estuary.
Their arrival has sparked a mini-boom in tourism, with sightseers travelling from Glasgow and Edinburgh and there has even been an inquiry from France.
Pleasure boat trips on the Badger and Marigot continue to be a big hit with visitors, according to the volunteer organisation Taymara.
Bob Richmond, head of unit at Taymara, said, “The last few weeks has been incredibly busy. The dolphins were slower in turning up this year but I think that was due to the bad weather creating silt in the water, which the dolphins don’t like.”
Happily for Mr Richmond and his team, the dolphin pod contains lots of juveniles, which will help ensure its future for coming years.
“The dolphins seem to be very healthy and lots of juveniles,” he said. “They are also now breeding in the estuary, which is very encouraging.”
Despite there being no guarantee visitors will see the pod on a given day, Mr Richmond says there is around an 85% chance of spotting the group on boat trips.
