The playful dolphin named Moko jumps out
of the ocean and over a swimmer.
of the ocean and over a swimmer.
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The two whales—a mother and her calf—had become stranded on a sandbar near a beach in New Zealand. New Zealand is an island country in the Pacific Ocean southeast of Australia. The sandbar was blocking the way to deeper ocean water. People on the beach had tried to guide the whales out to sea, but the whales would not follow.
“The whales kept getting disoriented and stranded again,” says Malcolm Smith, a rescuer from the New Zealand Conservation Department. His team had tried to help the whales. They even pushed the whales out to sea, but the whales would not move from shore. They were in distress, said Smith.
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“It would appear that the dolphin recognized the distress calls of the … whales,” says Bridget Davies–Robertson, a senior director of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society of North America. “Since both [the bottlenose dolphin and the pygmy whale] are toothed whales, it is likely that they can hear each other, but to understand each other is another issue.”
This may be the first reported case of a dolphin rescuing a stranded animal, she says. Dolphins are known for their ability to help others and also for their intelligence.
“I know we are meant to remain scientific, but I actually went into the water with the dolphin and gave her a pat afterwards, because she really did save the day,” says Smith.
Check out this video about Moko's rescue of a mother whale and her calf.
Think About It
Links
- Listen to a marine biologist and play a game here.
- Read about what you should do if you find a stranded whale or dolphin here.
Can you solve our Dolphin jigsaw puzzle?Back to Top
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