Zafar

Zafar was a wild, solitary bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, that frequented Iran's Hormuz Strait. He gained international attention around 2020 after reports linked him to aggressive injuries involving dozens of swimmers.

Zafar was associated with the Hormuz Strait in Iran, a busy waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. His presence near swimmers made encounters a public-safety concern.

He became widely reported because a solitary wild dolphin repeatedly approached people and was described as aggressively injuring dozens of swimmers around 2020. The story was unusual because bottlenose dolphins are intelligent but can still behave dangerously around humans.

A wild dolphin should never be treated as a tame animal, especially after repeated aggressive encounters. Swimmers should keep their distance, avoid touching or feeding dolphins, and follow local safety advice.