No one knows why Reggie, the solitary-sociable bottlenose dolphin, has chosen to linger alone in Lyme Bay, away from his pod or family group. Lone cetaceans are rare in UK waters – Reggie is believed to be the 16th in 35 years – but young males do sometimes break away to live alone, probably explained by their fission-fusion society.
But now he is off Dorset, and his fate, marine experts say, lies in our hands.