TCTI: Too Crazy Too Ignore
 Dave Ross

Can a wild dolphin really ask for help?

BY Dave Ross  on January 25, 2013 @ 1:31 pm

A seasoned diver by the name of Keller Laros certainly thinks so.

"He put himself in the position to allow me to most effectively remove the hook and the line," says Laros.

You've probably seen the video -- a dolphin swims toward Laros off the coast of Hawaii with a fishing line wrapped around its pectoral fin.

"I reached out with my left hand because I was holding my camera in my right hand and I gestured with my index finger, come here, and he swam right up to me," says Laros.

Laros cut the line. But did a wild Dolphin REALLY ask a human being for help, and then respond to human gestures?

We called Simon Allen of Australia's Murdoch University, who has closely studied dolphin behavior.

"I wouldn't necessarily say the dolphin understood the come hither gesture but I think it's not entirely unexpected from a large, intelligent, social animal to seek help," says Allen.

But in New York, Diana Riess, who teaches psychology at Hunter College, and wrote "The Dolphin in the Mirror" says she believes it DID understand.

"They show self awareness of their body parts. They know it's themselves in a mirror, we've done some of that research. Whether that's what this dolphin is actually doing we can't say for sure, but it sure looks like that to me," says Riess.

Whatever the case, Simon Allen says don't forget the other lesson here:

"This sort of thing happens all over the world everyday," says Allen. "Dolphins, whales, and other intelligent, social animals are entangled in fishing gear just because like to eat something that tastes good on our plate."

So I guess the least we can do is offer help when they ask.

Dave Ross, KIRO Radio Talk Show Host
Dave Ross is co-host of The Ross & Burbank Show on KIRO Radio (weekdays 9-Noon) and never too far from the spotlight.
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Comments (4)


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  • Bondo wrote...
    Flounder......
    January 26, 2013 10:36 am
    I spent a large portion of my life on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Another term for "flounder" was "fluke". At least according to my Dad.
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  • Ron_Spins wrote...
    Just like the comments from this website(from lefty's)
    January 26, 2013 12:24 pm
    Yes a Dolphin is far more intelligent than the common Democrat (Domesticus Stupidus).
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  • roomtemp wrote...
    Saw that a while back... Cool video.
    January 29, 2013 10:53 pm
    Dolphins are pretty amazing creatures. Looked to me like he was definitely seeking some help. I've read that area is a very regularly dived site, so it's likely the dolphin knew there would be humans there.

    You have to marvel at his thought process. I have a problem I can't fix. Scraping it off on the coral didn't work. Maybe one of those strange looking human creatures can help me out. They seem rather intelligent, dextrous, and handy with tools. Let's go find one and see.

    I find it just as likely that the dolphin responded to the thought behind the diver's hand gesture as the gesture itself. A lot of higher order animals are pretty sensitive to emotions and a lot of emotions are way more universal than physical gestures. But who knows...

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