A Tennessee woman has filed a federal lawsuit in an attempt to regain the ability to swim with wild dolphins in Hawaii, which she says she previously used as a form of therapy.
Catherine Gatzimos is challenging a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) regulation that prevents people from swimming with or deliberately approaching Hawaiian spinner dolphins within 50 yards in waters close to the main Hawaiian Islands.
According to the lawsuit, as reported by WKRN, Gatzimos began using dolphin-assisted therapy following a traumatic event in 2015. She claims the experiences benefited her mental health and that she would resume them if the current restrictions were removed.
Tennessee woman wants to overturn ban on swimming with wild dolphins
However, getting that close to the animals has been prohibited since a new rule came into effect in 2021.
NOAA introduced the restrictions because spinner dolphins feed offshore at night before returning to shallower areas during the day to rest and care for their young. The agency argued that close encounters with humans could disrupt that important resting period.
Gatzimos’s case isn’t simply asking a judge to make a personal exception for her. Instead, her lawsuit challenges whether the rule itself was lawfully introduced as a binding federal regulation.
She claims that before the ban, she would leave the water to allow the dolphins time to rest. She also continued swimming with spinner dolphins without a therapy guide after the restrictions were introduced.
Her new lawsuit seeks to clear the way for her to swim with the animals once again, including as part of dolphin-assisted therapy. For now, though, the 50-yard restriction remains in place while her challenge makes its way through federal court.
For more bizarre animal stories, check out this island that offers free accommodation if you look after a rescued pig, and the boat passenger fined $5,000 for waking up a polar bear.
