Case file · Folklore / legend
Pelorus Jack, the guiding dolphin
From about 1888 to 1912 a Risso's dolphin known as Pelorus Jack met and escorted ships through French Pass in the Marlborough Sounds; in 1904 he was protected by an Order in Council.
1888 CE · -41.03, 173.88 · status: official
The account
He was perhaps the first individual sea animal protected by law. In Māori tradition guardian sea creatures, such as Tūhirangi who guided the navigator Kupe through Cook Strait, protect travellers in these waters, and the dolphin became part of that wider lore.