We all know that dolphins are incredibly smart and social animals. They seem to be able to feel what people are thinking. In many places around the world, humans can swim and interact with them. Dolphins are skilled hunters, and while they are adorable, they can be aggressive.
A pod of dolphins recently showed that they have compassion for other animals.
When a female whale and her baby were attacked by male whales, the dolphins came to their rescue. The female whale, whose name is Spirit, was swimming with her calf off the coast of Flinders Bay, on the southwest coast of Western Australia. A group of five large males swam towards them and fought to mate with the mother.
The mother was not interested in mating, as she was still raising her young calf. Male whales will kill babies in order to get the mother to mate with them. and Spirit knew that she had to protect her baby. She did everything she could, but she was simply outnumbered. It seemed like all hope was lost for Spirit and her calf.
Then, all of a sudden, a group of dolphin swam to them.
They surrounded the mother and baby, blocking the males from getting to them. Members of Whale Watch WA saw and recorded the entire ordeal. The dolphins stayed with the exhausted mother. and some of them even showed their teeth to the male whales to scare them away.
At one point, the mother whale swam close to the Whale Watch boat to try to keep her baby safe. Finally, one of the males appeared to realize he was coming on too strongly. He scared the other male whales away and swam beside the mother and baby as if he was escorting her.
The Whale Watch members who witnessed the incident are calling it amazing.
They are excited to know that whales and dolphins have a close relationship with each other. The dolphins saved the life of the mother and baby that day.
Dolphins have also been known to save the lives of humans. Many divers and swimmers have shared stories of dolphins pulling them to the surface when they have run out of oxygen or protecting them from sharks and other predators in the water.
A group of people in New Zealand was being stalked by sharks when a group of dolphins saved them.
The dolphins swam circles around the group until the sharks lost interest and swam away.
Rob Howes, who had taken his daughter and her two friends for a swim, explained,
“They started to herd us up, they pushed all four of us together by doing tight circles around us.”
He said that he wasn’t sure if the dolphins were playing or not, but when he tried to swim away, they rushed him back to the safe area. That’s when he saw the shark.
He said,
“I just recoiled. It was only about two meters away from me, the water was crystal clear, and it was as clear as the nose on my face. They had corralled us up to protect us”.
What makes these dolphins care so much about others?
Are they really playing in the right place at the right time, or are they purposely protecting humans and whales?
According to Action for Dolphins,
“A dolphin’s sonar penetrates a human body, making our skeletons, lungs, and heart visible (dolphins are even able to hear an embryo’s heartbeat, and are especially fascinated by pregnant women). As fellow mammals, it is possible that dolphins recognize similarities in humans, and understand that we are vulnerable to drowning and attacks from predators.”
Whatever the reason, these amazing mammals are definitely interesting and unique.
If you don’t already love dolphins, this story will change that. Who knows how many other people and animals have been saved by these protectors of the deep.
Watch the footage in the video below.
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