Dolphin rescues stranded whales

[elehhhhna]

Dolphin rescues stranded whales
Witnesses say a bottlenose dolphin helped two stranded whales to safety

The two pygmy sperm whales were stranded on a sandbar at Mahia Beach, NZ

Rescuers watched as the dolphin guided the mother and calf to open sea


WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- A dolphin swam up to two distressed whales that appeared headed for death in a beach stranding in New Zealand and guided them to safety, witnesses said Wednesday.

The actions of the bottlenose dolphin -- named Moko by residents who said it spends much of its time swimming playfully with humans at the beach -- amazed would-be rescuers and an expert who said they were evidence of the species' friendly nature.

The two pygmy sperm whales, a mother and her calf, were found stranded on Mahia Beach, about 500 kilometers (300 miles) northeast of the capital of Wellington, on Monday morning, said Conservation Department worker Malcolm Smith.

Rescuers worked for more than one hour to get the whales back into the water, only to see them strand themselves four times on a sandbar slightly out to sea. It looked likely the whales would have to be euthanized to prevent them suffering a prolonged death, Smith said.

"They kept getting disorientated and stranding again," said Smith, who was among the rescuers. "They obviously couldn't find their way back past (the sandbar) to the sea."

Along came Moko, who approached the whales and led them 200 meters (yards) along the beach and through a channel out to the open sea.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/nz.whales.ap/index.html

[Subdivisions]

1. I love it! I love it! I love it! Great story. n/t

[mac2]

2. Will Moko the Dolphin please lead us out of this mess by Bush?

We've hit the sand bar.

[spooky3]

50. LOL! What would his job title be? I love animal stories, thanks, OP!

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

3. Stories like this always make me weepy, and this no exception!

((((((Moko))))))

[Der Blaue Engel]

5. Glad to know I'm not a complete freak

Lol! It makes me weepy too and I was feeling a little silly about it. :)

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

7. lol! I'm way passed feeling silly about it and just embrace it. ((((Hugs))))) for your heart! :)

You have such lovely kitties! :)

[Der Blaue Engel]

8. Thanks

In addition to being lovely, yours seem to be awfully smart as well! It's great that they're politically active; mine can barely figure out where the food dish is. ;)

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

9. lol! Your welcome and thank you

for your compliments on my kitties! In reality, they are only activists when it comes to talking everyone here into giving them more food, and they definitely know where their food dishes are.

Charlie, the orange tabby is especially enamored of the communal water bowl. He lays down and embraces is it between his front legs and paws when he drinks. Too cute!

:hi:

[roguevalley]

22. black shorthaired cats. Gods of the universe.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

27. He was also a gift from the Universe. He came to my doorstep on Oct. 17th of last year

crying to be let in. I spent a long time and energy to find his people and no one came forward. Everyone here is so happy with that because he won everyone's heart. Jack is literally the coolest cat. :)

[Alizaryn]

4. How incredibly cool!

Thank you for the smile!

[immoderate]

6. Moko for President!!

:patriot:

--IMM

[smiley_glad_hands]

11. His altruism and hope is just a political ploy. eom

[MilesColtrane]

12. Don't go playing the Bottlenose card!

[elehhhhna]

16. Geral-dingFerrarro: If Moko was a Great White, he wouldn't get such good press

[Duppers]

10. and humans kill these intelligent creatures!

Yeah for Moko! A better person than most humans, I'm afraid.

[flvegan]

15. My first thought was of the slaughter in Taiji every year.

These are wonderful creatures, and Moko is a fine example.

[RebelOne]

17. But humans kill other intelligent creatures for food.

[Duppers]

36. Yes and that's a fucking shame...

is it not? We don't have to create a market for the meat of intelligent animals.

But I don't think that was YOUR point.

[TahitiNut]

13. As a human blessed with the opportunity to make 'friends' with a wild dolphin, I'm not surprised.

While I could be accused of anthropomorphizing and projecting, I'm firm in my belief that there's a sanity in "life respecting life" ... altruism and kinship. Call it "love" ... call it whatever. What's in a name??? I don't need words/labels to KNOW that something profound exists in the transcendental sanity of BEING.

[Indenturedebtor]

14. Absolutely

Now we're all mammals here so maybe we're mammalprosomethingerothering

But check this out

http://www.elephantart.com/catalog/default.php

I've seen em do it in Thailand. No help, nothing... They just paint! You can find lots of videos online too. My wife and I picked up a picture of the sunset and one of a big tree with purple flowers.

[shireen]

21. can you tell us more about your experience?

These encounters with wildlife are rare and precious. When a wild animal accepts you into its "space", it's an overwhelming feeling of joy -- for a little while, you're a part of their world, on their terms. I'm not a religious person, but it's the closest I've ever come to a spiritual experience.

Many years ago, I was photographing some semipalmated sandpipers feeding on a Delaware beach just before sunset. These birds are usually very skittish, and will fly away at the smallest disturbance. I moved in parallel to them, then towards them, very slowly, staying upright so they could see me the entire time. Then I sat down and started inching my away towards them till I was about 20 feet or so away from them. When I moved slightly closer, they got a bit agitated -- that was my cue to back off, so I respected their wishes and moved away. I sat with them for about 30 minutes, taking photos and just enjoying their company. At first, they kept an eye on me while feeding, but later ignored me when they were reassured that I was not a threat. It was an utterly amazing experience.

One time, I was walking on a beach at South Assateague Island (off Chincoteague), VA. It was April, so the beach was mostly deserted. It was close to sunset (what a magical time!). I heard thunder, which was odd since the sky was completely clear. I turned around and saw a herd of about 25+ wild ponies, galloping fast right towards me. I was stunned! The herd took up almost the entire length of the beach. If I wanted to get out of their way, I could have climbed up a sand dune (which is bad for the fragile vegetation growing on it, needed to stabilize the dunes). But I knew the horses would not harm me, so I just stood still as they raced towards me. About 40 feet away, the herd neatly split into two groups and kept running ... around me! I was ecstatic! WOW!!! They eventually slowed down some distance away and went to nibble on ... oh no! grasses growing on the sand dunes. As I was walking away, a few minutes later, a park ranger drove up and asked, "have you seen the ponies?" LOL! I just grinned and pointed him down the beach. Later, I turned around to see what was going on ... he was chasing them off the dunes!

OK ... one last story. It's a bit silly, but it's a wildlife encounter that I'll always treasure. I can't swim (deep water phobia, any advice?) but love water and aquatic life. Some years ago, I put on a snorkel and went into a knee-deep "puddle" fed by a spring, close to the Gunpowder River in Maryland. The tiny pond was crystal clear and cold, and full of teeny little fishies: minnows, killies, and darters. Most of the time, fish swim away fast when they see people walking in water. But when you're actually in the water and keeping still, they'll come right up to you! So I had these adorable little fishies coming right up to my face, totally fearless, to check me out. And they tugged at my arm and leg hairs, thinking it was worms. It was wonderful! Fish-watching is loads of fun!

OK ... I'll stop babbling now. :)

[TahitiNut]

25. About 15 years ago, I spent a couple of weeks on a scuba diving vacation in Turks & Caicos ...

... on the island of Provodenciales, on Grace Bay. Jojo is a wild dolphin whose 'home' is Grace Bay. He's protected ... by law and custom. There's plenty on the web regarding Jojo. I 'met' Jojo while scuba diving. He'd arrive and play among the divers and "surveyed" those there with a sonogram. He'd arrive, play 'jokes' on the divers and engage in what I could only describe as romping and rollicking fun.

One late afternoon, while I was down at the dock with mask, snorkel and flippers ... just lazing and relaxing before dinner with a little snorkeling after a day of diving, Jojo showed up. He had a fresh bite mark on his back, just adjacent to his dorsal. He'd obviously tussled with a shark. It occurred to me that, as a "bachelor loner," he might be feeling bad and seeking a bit of companionship. So I said "OK" and began to swim away from the others and the dock, to see if Jojo wanted to join me. He did. It occurred to me (for reasons I'll never understand) to engage in a little play ... so I dove to the bottom and came back up, keeping the angle of the descent and ascent the same. Jojo did the same, right after I did. Then, he swam beneath me to some up on the other side and continue swimming along. So I did the same. We then engaged in similar "monkey see monkey do" stuff - all quite simple and playful - for about 20-30 minutes. Somersaults, barrel rolls, under, over, etc. He swam alongside and opened his eye on the side toward me. (He'd usually close it lest the person poke him - something forbidden.) It was clearly a trust ... and it was clear that the "lights were on and someone was home."

There was no question. We were friends. (This was confirmed for me a day or so later when, relating my experience, the local 'expert' told me that I was very, very fortunate to have been invited to be his friend. It's not something that's very common.) Months later, after relating my experiences at dinner to my date, the folks at a neighboring table (who, it turned out, were wildlife biologists at Stanford) excused themselves for interrupting and informed me that I had engaged in well-known "dolphin games" ... that I was, in effect, permitted to be "one of the pack." (Even one-on-one.)

It was an experience that is both unforgettable and ultimately indescribable. This wasn't the same as loving and playing with my dog or other experiences I've had .. since I really love animals. It wasn't like Jojo was an "animal" ... even though I know that *I* am and he is too. It was ... different. Transcendent.

Contact. Close Encounter. That kind of thing. :shrug:

[shireen]

28. very cool story!

Thanks, I really enjoyed reading about Jojo. He sounds like quite a character.

Did his bite wound heal? Poor little fella ...

[HCE SuiGeneris]

32. Great story!

They are truly amazing creatures.

[elleng]

54. Thanks

for this!

[BrklynLiberal]

56. I have also been to that Club Med and seen Jojo, who hung out near the waterskiing dock at the time.

The story was that he started hanging out there while they were building the resort.

Me and a couple of other people were in the water one day..and a sand shark came near us...not really too dangerous..but Jojo spotted it and came right over and chased it away.

It is truly amazing...

[mnhtnbb]

58. How lucky. We, too, were at that Club Med some years ago with our boys.

We saw Jojo in the water, but he never approached us.

[Mythsaje]

29. Don't feel too bad...

Some scientists are growing a little wary of the "anthropomorphizing" charge now that research into animal intelligence is revealing some surprising things about how the theory of evolution and the gradiant nature of intelligence goes hand in hand. They're actually realizing that there isn't some great divide with us on one side and animals on the other. Some use tools, some show signs of self awareness, some reveal a realization of others as separate beings, some understand or use a sort of language, some show the ability to plan and think ahead, and some reveal an awareness of time that we never thought them capable of in the first place.

It's foolish perhaps to assign human motivations to them, since they are obvious NOT human, but it's entirely possible that they might have motivations that aren't all that different either.

This sort of research is a particular fascination of mine and I recently read an article on it in National Geographic that's still fresh in my mind.

[EFerrari]

35. The whole idea of "human" motivation is a little silly. n/t

[Duppers]

39. hi, sfexpat

You're saying that we're examining very similar motivations whether it's termed 'human' or not. I hope others reading this understand this point. We and the dolphins share a certain "higher motivation" and concern for others. As TH pointed out in his wonderful posts above, we're all animals and this 'human' /'higher' motivation may have evolved not just in us alone, but in other higher thinking species. Therefore, why should such motivation carry the term 'human'?


:)

[EFerrari]

40. I wonder if other animals think of us as nearly apes or nearly doglike.

lol

It would be interesting to sort out how much time humans spend eating, sleeping, rearing our young, protecting our homes, grooming, keeping warm or cool enough vs. splitting the atom or writing sonnets. :)

[Mythsaje]

43. Care to elaborate? n/t

[EFerrari]

45. I mean that somehow we elevate our motives and manage

not to recognize similar or even the same motives in other creatures.

That's a funky way to be in the world. :)

/oops

[TahitiNut]

47. It's often a mistake to compare our insides to another's outsides.

... even when that 'other' is a human friend, acquaintance, or even a spouse. Yet we do it. We tend to believe we understand something when we can bury it under words ... so it was fascinating to encounter a being I have no doubt is sentient, intelligent, possessed of both a sense of humor and a sense of compassion. (I know. Words.) The largest part of that fascination was COOPERATING - without a shared symbol set (i.e. words).

Anything I'd write is mere doodling in comparison to the experience. It was, literally, indescribable.

[EFerrari]

51. Relating is a little bit like sonar, isn't it?

We ping back and forth. It's all over nature. Have you ever listened to a bird and her chicks play "Marco Polo"? It's fascinating. The chicks can track where Mom is while she's out getting the groceries because she calls back to them. They answer her and the calls continue until she's back in the nest.

The point you make about language is well taken. I could never understand people who try to make their dogs, for example, into little hairy children when so much of the pleasure of being with a dog is relief from the obligations of language. :)

[Mythsaje]

52. My dogs understand english quite well...

It doesn't hurt that my wife and I can also speak dog fairly well.

No communication breakdown around here.

[Mythsaje]

48. Ah, gotcha.

Too many possible interpretations to your first statement.

Thanks

Good point, btw.

[Summer93]

18. Food for thought

Someone mentioned how our society kills and eats Dolphins. If so, eating them has not made humans more compassionate.

Could it be they can read our minds? I guess one has to be closes to them in the water and get the compassion from actually touching these beautiful and amazing smart creatures.

I once fed a couple dolphins who arrived at the dock at specific human times each day, got their whole fish and swam back out to sea.

[lonestarnot]

19. Excellent Moko!

:applause:

[arikara]

20. Lovely story...

K&R. May this be seen inspiration for the meanness of some people.

[GreenPartyVoter]

23. Way cool!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

24. Just watched a BBC documentary about dophins saving humans from sharks.

The first one was in Spain in which a swimmer was attacked by a shark and badly injured. As the shark was about to attack for the 2nd time, dolphins drove the shark off.

In the second, 5 lifeguards in NZ were swimming across the bay when, suddenly, they were surrounded by bottlenose dolphins and very aggressively herded into a small clump and kept there with the dolphins swimming very small circles around them. This went on for something like 45 minutes. Then it was discovered that a great white shark was nearby that was eventually driven off by the dolphins. At that point the dolphins left and the swimmers made it to shore.

The scientists speculated that the dolphin behavior in both instances may have occurred because of young dolphins in the area or some sort of dolphin/human compassion.

I'd like to think the latter.

[BrklynLiberal]

57. I also saw that show. It was amazing. Those dolphins definitely saved those lifeguards' lives.

The marine biologist said it was one of the first times that the intention was so obvious and that there were enough witnesses to make it a valid observation.

[Stinky The Clown]

26. Animals are dumb

NOT

[HCE SuiGeneris]

30. Dolphins rock!

:bounce: :bounce:

[ShadesOfGrey]

31. Thanks for this... it made my day! n/t

[MasonJar]

33. That is one wonderful story! It has often been said that the whales and the

dolphins have superior intelligence to man. I guess this proves it.

[Peace Teacher]

34. Humans could learn from the animal world. We all need help.

[RedCappedBandit]

37. Was about to say the same thing. nt

[EFerrari]

41. Welcome to DU, Peace Teacher.

:)

[malaise]

38. What a beautiful story

Thank you

[pitohui]

42. altho i guess i don't believe it, cute story !

i hope it's true altho it seems rather unlikely...

[Mythsaje]

44. And why is this so unbelievable?

On the other hand, I guess that's DU in a nutshell lately. The bad stuff is easy to believe. People will rush to believe even the most convoluted crap, as long as it's bad. It's anything remotely positive that doesn't gain any traction that no one wants to believe.

[Crabby Appleton]

49. Word nt

[fujiyama]

46. It has been pretty well documented that dolphins have an altruistic sense

They've been known to defend humans from sharks. There was a case in Monterey Bay where a surfer was attacked by a shark. I believe dolphins came at one point and started to whack the shark and later circled around the man.

I think they have a sense when predators attack and they feel the same empathy as they would for other dolphins. Who knows...Those are pretty amazing creatures. I hope I have a chance to go swimming with dolphins one day. That's one of those "things to do before I die".

[Judi Lynn]

55. I heard this story years ago. Just went to see if it was anywhere on the web, and here it is:

Helpful/heroic Dolphins


In Mauritania in Africa dolphins help fishermen herd fish.


A Frenchmen, Bernard Moitessier, told of how a dolphin helped him from running aground in Stewert Island off the south tip of New Zealand,in 1968 by making passes by his boat and turning right,thus guiding him to safety.

Pelorus Jack

Dolphins seem to love people and the ships people sail in. Often, when they see a ship coming, they like to leap out of the water to greet it.

Sailors are very fond of dolphins too. Usually ,they are very careful not to hurt them. They consider it bad luck to kill a dolphin.

About a hundred years ago, there was a narrow passage of water off the coast of New Zealand. It was called French Pass. The sailors used it as a short cut, but it was a very dangerous one. Its waters were tricky and its bottom was filled with jaggered rocks.

One stormy morning, a ship called the Bridle started going throught the passage. Suddenly, a blue-grey dolphin popped its head out of the water. It began jumping up infront of the ship as if to welcome it.

The dolphin started to lead the way throught the dangerous channel and the ship followed it. Finnaly, the ship arrived saftely on the other side. The happy sailors aboard the Bridle felt the dolphin had helped them. They called the friendly, useful dolphin "Perolus Jack."

After that, for over 30 years, Jack showed up and led every large ship that came along through the passage. Every sailor on the ship came to know "Jack" by sight. And they all tusted him to lead them through the waters of French Pass.
Then, one day in 1903, a drunken passenger aboard the ship the Penguin, fired a shot at Jack. The bulletstruck the dolphin, and he disappeared below the water. The crew of the ship wanted to lynch the man who had shot Jack. Only the ships captain saved his life.

But Jack was gone. Everyone feared that he was dead. Then suddenly, 2 weeks later, he showed up again. The famous dolphin seemed to be alright. And, at once, he went back to his job of helping every large ship that came along through the difficut channel.
That is, he helped every ship but one. Jack never turned up to help the Penguin again. One day, several years later, the Penguin was wrecked in the passage and sunk.

In 1912, 41 years after he was first sighted, Jack disappeared. The helpful dolphin was never seen again.

http://nicolesdolphins.tripod.com/helpfuldolphins.html

and, again:

~~~~~~~~~
The Most Selfless Animal In The World

If the little Scottish terrier whose monument still stands in Edinburgh is not the most selfless animal who ever lived, a dolphin named Pelorus Jack might well be. For many years, this dolphin guided ships through French Pass, a channel through the D’Urville Islands off New Zealand. This dangerous channel is so full of rocks, and has such extremely strong currents, that it has been the site of literally hundreds of shipwrecks. But none occurred when Pelorus jack was at work. There is no telling how many lives he saved.

He was first seen by human beings when he appeared in front of a schooner from Boston named “Brindle,’’ just as the ship was approaching French Pass. When the members of the crew saw the dolphin bobbing up and down in front of the ship, they wanted to kill him – but, fortunately, the captain’s wife was able to talk them out of it. To their amazement, the dolphin then proceeded to guide the ship through the narrow channel. And for years thereafter, he safely guided almost every ship that came by. So regular and reliable was the dolphin that when ships reached the entrance to French Pass they would look for him, and if he was not visible, they would wait for him to appear to guide them safely through the treacherous rocks and currents.

On one sad occasion, a drunken passenger aboard a ship named the “Penguin” took out a gun and shot at Pelorus Jack. The crew was furious, and when they saw Jack swim away with blood pouring from his body they came very close to lynching the passenger. The ’’Penguin’’ had to negotiate the channel without Pelorus Jack’s help, as did the other ships that came through in the next few weeks. But one day the dolphin reappeared, apparently recovered from his wound. He had evidently forgiven the human species, because he once again proceeded to guide ship after ship through the channel. When the ’’Penguin’’ showed up again, however, the dolphin immediately disappeared. For a number of years thereafter, Pelorus Jack continued to escort ships through French Pass – but never the ’’Penguin,’’ and the crew of that ship never saw the dolphin again. Ironically, the ’’Penguin’’ was later wrecked, and a large number of passengers and crew were drowned, as it sailed – unguided – through French Pass.

http://www.asm.org.au/lifestyle/animals-are-people-too/the-most-selfless-animal-in-the-world/

[juajen]

53. Oh my gosh, this is a wonderful story.

It makes everything seem possible and redeemable. I pray it is so.