She 's a charming cetacean who one minute will allow you to put your arm around her -- and the next leave you nursing injuries . As swimmers off the west coast of Ireland are finding out , you do n't mess with Dusty the dolphin . Now authorities have been forced to erect signs around Doolin Harbor , County Clare , after a woman was hospitalized last Sunday by the feisty bottlenose dolphin -- the fourth such incident since May . Dusty has a checkered history in the area . First spotted in the waters off the coast of County Clare in 2000 , reports began to surface as far back as 2004 that she was a little temperamental . According to media reports , one diver even claimed that Dusty had tried to drown her . Officials say that a record has never been kept of precisely how many incidents Dusty has been involved in -- but they believe that the number has escalated this year . Village suggest this could be because Dusty moved to Doolin Harbour -- which is much more heavily populated with swimmers than her previous hunting ground -- back in 2011 . In the latest incident , the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group reports that Dusty rammed a woman in the abdomen resulting in her hospitalization . It 's only the latest in a series of incidents , the group says , with one woman having to be flown back to Germany via air ambulance as a result of her injuries . The IWDG also warns that pursuing Dusty could also result in an injury or even a fatality . And do n't even think about trying to take her picture . As one sign states : `` If she does grab a camera etc , let her have it , or she might ram you or hit you with her tail . '' Clare County Council has now commissioned the IWDG to produce advisory posters warning people not to approach Dusty . It has also asked lifeguards to put out red warning flags whenever Dusty is spotted in the area . But beyond that there 's little else the authorities can do : the bottlenose dolphin -- which can grow up to 10-feet long -- is an endangered species and is protected under law . Swimmers on the west coast of Ireland -- beware .
Reports suggest Dusty the whale , found on the west coast of Ireland , has attacked swimmers . A woman was hospitalized last Sunday -- the fourth incident since May . Authorities are now erecting warning signs around Shannon Harbor , County Clare . The bottlenose whale is listed as an endangered species .