I had actually been reading about this quite a bit. I actually occurred worldwide in all the oceans that had regular interaction with man. Particularly where dolphin, whale, shark, ducks and such resided when it came to water.

However, they are now learning this happened on land as well. Affecting zoos, and areas where animals are used to having human interaction. Particularly parks, zoos and gathering areas where animals regularly interacted with humans.

The first animals we noticed to miss us was the ocean. Dolphins are very social creatures. I remember when my husband and me would be out sailing and playing The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Doobie Brothers, Yacht Rock, or Pop music relatively loud. We would look down and out, and there would be dolphins and various fish swimming along side our vessel. They were just having fun frolicking listening to the tunes.

So, needless to say when I came across this article I decided to write about it, and share it.

When the crowds disappeared, the ocean noticed.

Along parts of Australia’s coast, dolphins started leaving something behind.

But the part that caught researchers off guard was this.

During the 2020 lockdowns, tour boats stopped and swimmers vanished almost overnight. For Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins that had grown used to human presence, the change was abrupt.

These were not distant animals. Some had spent years approaching people, circling in the water, initiating contact in ways that blurred the line between wild and familiar.

Then suddenly, there was no one.

Soon after, objects began appearing in the shallows. Shell fragments. Bits of coral. Strands of seaweed. Not scattered debris, but items dolphins are known to carry and present during social exchanges.

In dolphin societies, offering objects can signal curiosity, play, or even courtship. It is a behavior tied to connection.

With humans gone, that pattern did not stop. It redirected.

What washed up on the shore was not random.

It was interaction with nowhere to go.

Sometimes behavior does not disappear when the audience leaves. It simply waits, still reaching.