Several years ago, two Atlantic White-sided dolphins showed up literally behind my house! At first, the neighbors and I were so thrilled to see them. This is not a common occurrence where I live.
We quickly learned these dolphins generally do not spend time in shallow bays and that something was terribly wrong. While waiting for the aquarium’s marine mammal team to arrive, I noticed the dolphins were acting strange. One seemed to be repeatedly diving below the other dolphin and raising his/her companion out of the water a bit. It became apparent that one dolphin was assisting the other to breathe. He/she was trying to help by lifting the dolphin high enough so the blowhole would break the surface. This went on and on, until the second dolphin could no longer be seen.
The aquarium arrived and the story has an even sadder end. The “helper” dolphin was euthanized for reasons I still do not fully understand. Perhaps his/her health was severely compromised by the stress, or maybe both dolphins suffered from the same illness. Perhaps the aquarium does not have the facilities to care for sick marine mammals.
I thought I would tell this story in light of the remarkable dolphin research footage that has been publicized recently. In the East Sea of South Korea, several Cetacean Research Institute staff observed and filmed dolphins forming a “life raft” to assist a sick member of the pod. The group of dolphins literally lined up next to one another and worked to keep the female dolphin upright and in a position where she could breathe.
Throughout history, there have been countless stories of dolphins helping and caring for one another. Apparently, this is the first time a group of dolphins has been seen working together to help a sick or injured pod member. It is a very beautiful and enlightening video, and one that depicts true compassion. I think you will be impressed by what you watch. I have to warn you that it has a sad ending, too.
Check out this informative article by Discovery News that gives additional details: http://news.discovery.com/animals/whales-dolphins/dolphins-create-raft-for-one-of-their-own-230130.htm
Also, if you would like even more information, here is a link to the just published research article in the Marine Mammal Science journal: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mms.12012/abstract
Always love your videos!
Thank you so much! There have been so many wonderful stories about dolphins lately.
I just read your post about Annie and I am so stunned by the cruelty in the world. People like Karen give me hope! http://crazytraintotinkytown.com/2013/02/02/for-the-love-of-annie/
A very big thank you from one animal lover to another
Hi Jo Anne, I found your site when researching the behaviour I just caught on film when visiting the dolphins in Las Vegas. I was trying to figure out what the dolphins in my video were doing, since it looked like they were trying to help one of their group get back up to the surface. Now I’m getting the impression that the dolphins I filmed were performing the life raft maneuver you yourself had witnessed. I had a great view of it from the underwater tank. After I shot the video it seemed like all the dolphins were fine – at least I really hope they were.
Wow! That is really amazing! It does appear that they were giving their friend a boost. I wonder if we will ever truly understand what these amazing animals are up to! Thank you so much for visiting and sharing your experience.