MORRIS, MB
A pod of playful dolphins was spotted in the Red River near Morris this week, the first time they’ve visited the area since Mennonite settlers arrived in the 1870s.
“They’re cropping up everywhere,” said local nature lover Darryl Peters. “Morris, Rosenort, and even the forks of the Rat and Red, you know, the Mennonite Landing spot.”
Dolphins have also been seen swimming in the Buffalo Creek outside Altona, and are known to frequent the Winkler Aquatic Centre and Morden’s Lake Minnewasta.
“If you look for them, you can’t miss them,” said Peters. “I’ve heard they also found enough water to swim in the dry creek that runs in front of the TG Smith Arena there in Schteinback.”
According to Peters, there are so many dolphins in the area that local Mennonites have stopped bothering to take pictures of them for Instagram.
“Once they showed up in the baptismal tank at the MB Church I knew it was all over,” said Peters. “But I guess that’s just how things go. It’s a return to nature.”
Scientists believe the dolphins were run out of the area over a century ago by Mennonites who didn’t appreciate their showiness and sass.