Dolphins form life raft to help dying friend

[glowing]

17. Perhaps these dolphins were doing this because there

was a "human boat" nearby and they thought if they helped to keep the dolphin alive and bring to the human boat, the humans could help the dolphin out? Or maybe the dolphin was sick, and they wanted the humans to study the dolphin (dead or alive) to realize that there is some toxin in the environment that is affecting dolphins and causing muscle paralysis?

This boat is a research boat, the dolphins may have recognized its "scientific" aspect since their research is studying dolphins. I can't help but wonder at the dolphins being in the Sea of Japan and their habitat having been affected by a nuclear power reactor. The dolphins would be eating fish that could be contaminated. This could be the dolphins trying to say to the humans, "hey, look, you need to take our sister and study her and realize that all life in the area could be in harms way".

We've seen more and more of these dolphin/ human interactions, and the dolphin's apparent trust at times to interact and help or be helped by man... Like the dolphin that becomes entangled in a fishing net needing to be cut free or a human needing rescuing and a dolphin saving the human by bringing the human to the surface and keeping the human up in the air until a rescue can be had.

It's too bad the humans didn't take the 30 mins to help pull the dolphin aboard for further study of what was happening to her... Just let her body sink to the bottom without trying to study the dolphin for a better understanding of what was happening. Those dolphins were close to the boat, it's not as if they were out long range.

It would be amazing to have the technology to be able to "talk to/ listen to" the dolphins and other animals. They do speak. We cannot understand them, and I'm sure much of their language is partial body signals, vocal, and who knows, perhaps telekinetic. The dolphin brain is quite large. Perhaps they are able to communicate thru their minds?

And it does seem that they are able and capable of learning and trying to communicate. In captivity, the dolphins can seem to communicate thru trained command. And in other animal species, we have been able to communicate with "monkey" species thru sign language. Even in our homes with our cats and especially dogs, we know they seem to understand human words. They know their names, they know certain words like sit, stay, roll over, and to give a paw shake. They also seem to know certain words like "food" or "water" or "treat".

In my own life with my dog, treats are called "cookies", and if you say cookie, the dog goes to the garage door waiting for us to go into the garage where his food and cookies are kept. If my son says he would like a cookie for a snack, the dog's ears perk up and he will get up and start doing the butt waggle/ happy dance. My husband has to spell out "cookie" or "treat" to ask if the dog has gotten a treat when he doesn't know or the dog will go nutty thinking he's getting a treat. And when you talk to him, he will sit and cock his head to the side like he's listening and understanding what you are talking about. And as anyone knows, all of them seem to come with their own personalities and traits that make them unique in character.

It's no wonder there are old folk lore about humans being able to change into an dolphin form and vise versa. People's interactions with cetaceans from long ago must have realized how "humanly" they can seem at times. And in general, there are a lot of "lore's" about human/ animal changing or being assigned an animal trait/ character as a part of them. Just look at the many native tribes who are close with nature and the land looking to different animals (birds, bears, wolves, elk, buffalo) to name themselves or look to them as a "sign" of what's going on.

It would be a good thing for humans to look to other species with respect and understanding to create a more harmonious relationship with nature and our planet as a hole, instead of dominating and conquering all land and space as if we are not dependent on the entire natural ecosystem for us to survive as a planet.

I'm sad that the scientists didn't think to try and take the dying dolphin for further study. The dolphins may have been trying to get the humans to understand something was happening in nature to them and may be something that eventually effects land dwellers in a negative manner. We do seem to be one of the most destructive species to the planet and its co-dependence with each other to make the balance of nature thrive and sustain itself.