Wednesday, February 6, 2013

The Kind Comedian Returns: Eric Vega & Dolphins



You love dolphins. 

Of course you do, everyone does. How could you not? They’re adorable, friendly, and can do backflips. Triple threat. They are creatures who capture our imagination, and for good reason. They are considered to be amongst the most intelligent species on the planet. Maybe this is why we can empathize with them so much, because they are so like us. And like us, they are capable of caring for one another.

I was recently linked to a scientific video that was as inspiring as it was heartbreaking. For the first time ever, a pod of dolphins was witnessed trying to rescue an injured friend. The injured dolphin seemed paralyzed and unable to swim on its own. The pod took turns swimming under their (for lack of a better word) friend to keep it’s head above water. Researchers believe that they were trying to keep him from drowning.

After several minutes, something even more remarkable occurred. The dolphins began to form a sort of raft under the injured dolphin to support it. They all came together and swam in formation to prop up their friend. When I first saw the video (linked below) I was absolutely touched. I’m no scientist, but it really does seem like evidence of compassion and even a sort of love that these animals seem to have for one another. Unfortunately, they were unable to save the dying dolphin. After it had stopped breathing, the several members of the group remained with the body until it sank.
And since that was the saddest thing ever, I’ll leave you with a video of a dolphin asking a diver to remove a hook from his fin. Something about this example of interspecies communication and cooperation is just inspiring to me.


Thank you Eric! :) 

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