Distressed dolphin seeks out diver for help

[Judi Lynn]

Distressed dolphin seeks out diver for help
By Stephen C. Webster
Wednesday, January 23, 2013 15:05 EST

Diving in waters near Hawaii recently, a group of photographers were surprised to see a Bottlenose dolphin swim right up to them seemingly in distress.

As they discovered on the night of Jan. 11, the dolphin had a hook embedded in its mouth and fishing line wrapped around one of its pectoral fins, and it was wound so tightly that it had cut into the creature’s tissue.

Diver and photographer Martina Wing made sure her cameras were rolling when an associate took out a pocket knife and began trying to cut the line away. Amazingly, it did not resist and appeared to be communicating its need for assistance.

Then the dolphin briefly vanished, returning to the surface for air before swimming back down to the divers for more help. It even rolled over to let its new friends get a better angle on the line.

Video at link:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/01/23/distressed-dolphin-seeks-out-diver-for-help/

[elleng]

1. Great story, eh? Posted yesterday:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/101793761

[LisaLynne]

6. I missed it, so I'm glad I saw it this time and had a chance to ...

see it.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

27. Yeah, I missed it too. Glad it was re-posted! (n/t)

[nilram]

36. awesome it was posted today, I missed yesterday's.

[malaise]

2. Awwwwwwwwwwww!

Rec

[Smilo]

3. Lovely - Sometimes I really love my fellow humans

Swim little dolphin, swim away

[Hugabear]

4. Rush Limbaugh doesn't believe in animal intelligence

I remember many years ago, I just happened to catch him blathering on and on about how animals did not possess any intelligence, that anything they did was pure instinct.

I think it's safe to say that many animals have more intelligence than Rushboy and his teabagger friends.

[Lizzie Poppet]

7. He's just jealous.

Flipper probably kicked his ass at Jeopardy...

[TrogL]

18. A dog cannot instinctively know another dog's name and act on it

One of my dogs is a bit of a sleepy head so I have to send one of the others to fetch it for its morning treat.

In the evening I let them finish the wet cat food that doesn't get finished so it doesn't turn. I call each dog by name to get their portion out of my hand. There are always three portions. The last one is always out of the bowl. The last dog to be fed approaches the bowl, not my hand, meaning they can count.

Somebody once said, if you don't think dogs can count, show a dog 5 treats, put them in your pocket, then give the dog four.

[pansypoo53219]

31. my cat is now on 2 pills daily. i was using treats to lure him. i was trying to teach him numbers.

i do think he figured out it was more than 1.

[Egalitarian Thug]

22. I do not believe in Limpball's intelligence.

Anyone that spends time with animals, working with them or even just paying attention to them, knows that they do have "intelligence", that is of course, assuming that they have the intelligence to recognize it.

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. .

[Beringia]

8. Kudos to the divers for helping

[cali]

9. good little human.

[Mika]

10. Kindness heals wounds.

Kindness is but another name for love, and when we put love into the world we have brought heaven near by, for wherever there is kindness there is heaven.

MARTHA A. BORTLE

[ellie]

11. Geez dolphin.

He's nice.

[Blue Owl]

12. Scuba Heroes

Thanks to those divers!

[Go Vols]

13. very cool

[Octafish]

14. Incredible intelligence who could teach humans many, many lessons on compassion.

Remember the little boy who was mistakenly attacked by a Killer Whale in Alaska?

Boy's orca encounter short, scary

Whale researchers say it was highly unusual for a killer whale to bump a 12-year-old boy splashing in shallow water near Ketchikan. Ellis Miller found himself...

By The Associated Press

KETCHIKAN, Alaska — Whale researchers say it was highly unusual for a killer whale to bump a 12-year-old boy splashing in shallow water near Ketchikan.

Ellis Miller found himself face-to-face with an orca charging at him in 4 feet of water Saturday in Helm Bay. The animal, estimated to be more than 25 feet long, bumped but did not bite him.

"I looked underwater and there was this huge head right in front of me," Ellis told the Ketchikan Daily News.

SNIP...

The whale bumped Ellis on the left side of his chest and shoulder, then arched around him.

"Ellis was in the middle, and he was totally surrounded," Kathy Arntzen said.

She reached forward and grabbed Ellis as the pressure wave caused by the whale's rapid advance swept them toward the beach.

"Within a second we were on the shore," Kathy said. "We got out fast."

The episode lasted about five seconds, they said.

As the orca returned to deeper water, six more killer whales surfaced near the beach.

They swam along the beach for 100 yards or so and then returned. They swam back and forth several times. On the last pass, the largest orca rolled onto its side, raised a pectoral fin and smacked the water about five times. Then it hit the water with its tail. The other whales followed in a line and began doing the same.

"It was like the whole bay was boiling at this point," Kathy Arntzen said. "They were up and down and making noise. ... It was like they were signaling us."

CONTINUED...

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2002445380_orca19m.html

Wish humans were as intelligent.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

15. Dolphins are very intelligent. I think most animals & mammals are...

....just because humans don't understand them, many assume they're stupid. But I'll never believe it.

[lovuian]

16. Awesome

Loved it

[flamingdem]

17. That is such a hopeful story

I wonder if Dolphins are becoming more self aware and evolving to be more able or willing to reach out to humans, now we need to evolve to keep up!

[1620rock]

19. Were they able to remove the hook from the dolphin's mouth? I hope so.

[Whovian]

20. I don't believe so here's the 8 minute video.

[onethatcares]

29. wow, those divers just experienced a

moment in time that will never leave them, the dolphin as well.

[ohheckyeah]

37. There was a note added that the hook was removed as well. n/t

[tblue37]

28. No--just the line. At the end of the video the

text says the hook remains in the dolphin's flesh, but free of the line tangled around his fin, he can swim more freely.

Too bad about the hook.

The poor thing was obviously nervous about approaching the divers. He thought about it and hesitated a few times before finally getting up the courage to do so.

[jberryhill]

30. You never know

Some people like 'em too....

[nc4bo]

21. Well watching that just took away all the icky negative feelings I had built up today!! Thanks.nm

[joeybee12]

23. And these are the creatures we kill in tuna nets still...

God help us when we die and have to meet our Maker and its a Dolphin!

[TheMadMonk]

26. And like us, they're also scheming pack rapists, racists and...

...wanton thrill killers.

[ISW]

24. Fantastic!!!!!

[Hekate]

25. That is just awe-inspiring

Thank you for posting it.

[nick of time]

32. What an amazing story.

When I see stories like this, it renews my faith in humankind.

[catbyte]

33. Those rays were pretty freaking cool too

[stuntcat]

34. This is so beautiful!

TY for posting it!

[farminator3000]

35. "certain bottlenose dolphins in Brazil are helping fishermen with their catches."

http://news.discovery.com/animals/whales-dolphins/helpful-dolphins-120502.htm

[mokawanis]

38. Incredible. Thanks for posting. n/t

[lonestarnot]

39. Fanfuckingtastic that!

[UtahLib]

40. Animals gift us with one learning experience after another, but will we ever learn? N/T