Hollywood star Teresa Palmer throws support behind Messenger campaign to save Port River dolphins
HOLLYWOOD star Teresa Palmer has expressed her disbelief at the State Government’s failure to protect the Port River dolphins — as she called for action to prevent further loss of animal life.
HOLLYWOOD star Teresa Palmer has expressed her disbelief at the State Government’s failure to protect the Port River dolphins — as she called for action to prevent further loss of animal life.
The Adelaide actor said the deadly situation in the river, which has seen six dolphins die in under a year by speeding boats, needed to be addressed immediately by authorities.
“I have been so shocked to learn about this issue, I can’t understand why the government isn’t doing everything it can to protect these beautiful creatures,” Palmer told The Advertiser.
She threw her support behind Messenger Community News’s Protect Our Dolphins campaign for a 10-knot speed limit in the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary, as suggested by Dr Mike Bossley, the leading authority on the dolphins.
“Mike Bossley and his team are campaigning for something so simple: an appropriate speed limit for boats that ensures the safety of these precious locals,” she said.
“It’s not only about rightfully defending the dolphins but recognising that this is a unique and privileged situation that is worth preserving, these are the only wild dolphins believed to live within city limits anywhere in the world.”
The campaign began after the release of an SA Museum report that showed 17 out of 35 dolphins that died in the sanctuary over the past 13 years had been killed by blunt trauma, most likely caused by speeding vessels.
After months of intense community pressure, Transport Minister Stephan Knoll — who had repeatedly stonewalled the issue — has finally met with Dr Bossley and promised to organise a meeting of stakeholders. Dr Bossley is “very optimistic” the government will finally take action to protect the dolphins.
It’s a victory for the nearly 20,000 people so far who have signed the petition calling for action in a campaign launched five months ago.
Back in Adelaide after a stint in Wales to promote her new TV series A Discovery of Witches, Palmer said she took every opportunity to see the Port River dolphins with her young children, Bodhi Rain, 4, and Forest Sage, almost 2.
“I love taking my kids down to the Port to watch these gentle animals play, the way they interact with other dolphins and humans alike is so special,” she said.
“It saddens me deeply to know so many dolphins and their calves have lost their lives as a consequence of reckless human action, which can and should be curbed with speed limit enforcement. I feel strongly that we should be doing everything we can to live in harmony with these dolphins, they bring great joy and diversity to the Port River area.”
Mr Knoll has previously said a 10-knot speed limit would be “unworkable” as an open speed limit allowed boats, particularly smaller ones, to navigate around each other and maintain a “safe order”. Instead, he said it was about “compliance and enforcement” and “dealing with the extreme minority of people who do the wrong thing on our waters”.