When asked their favourite animals, many people answer 'dolphins'. They are known as friendly, intelligent creatures that have a special relationship with humans. For example, dolphins can tell when a woman is pregnant. They can also tell when someone is in trouble. No one is really sure why this is the case. Experts think they may understand that humans are similar to them and try to protect them from predators and other dangers. Dolphins' protection of humans might not be just automatic or instinctive: they may actively decide to help in certain situations.
There are many stories about dolphins protecting humans from sharks. Wildlife filmmaker Hardy Jones was filming a group of dolphins, when a large shark swam towards him ready to attack. Four dolphins came to his rescue and drove the shark away. Perhaps they could tell he was a person who cared very much about dolphins. In fact, Jones was a well-known campaigner against the killing of dolphins. In another incident, in 2004, in New Zealand, four people were saved from a great white shark by a pod of dolphins. The dolphins herded the swimmers into a group and formed a protective ring around them. As they had not yet seen the shark, one of them tried to swim away. He couldn't get away, because every time he tried, he was pushed back inside the ring by the dolphins.
Dolphins don't only save humans from sharks, but protect them in other situations too. A scuba diver was hit by a boat near the Channel Islands (between England and France) in 2006. The man was unconscious, but survived 56 hours in the water, watched over by a pod of about 150 dolphins. In 2014, dolphins again came to the help of a human. Joey Trevino was losing hope. He had been in the sea for 24 hours after his boat sank in the Gulf of Mexico. He felt he couldn't keep going any more. A friendly dolphin approached him and gently pushed him, as if to say 'don't give up'. That moral support and encouragement may have saved Trevino's life.
Dolphins have also been known to help other species. In New Zealand, two pygmy sperm whales were in difficulty next to a sand bank. People were trying their best to get them back out to sea, but the whales couldn't find their way past the sand bank. After several hours of failed attempts, they were ready to give up. Along came 'Moko', a bottlenose dolphin, who seemed to communicate with the whales and led them to a channel which took them back to the ocean.
Whales have also been known to protect both humans and other mammals. In California, in 2012, a BBC Planet Earth film crew filmed a group of humpback whales who were protecting migrating grey whales from attacks by orcas (killer whales) over a period of at least seven hours. In China, Yang Yun applied for a job training whales at Polar Land in the city of Harbin. For the 'interview' she had to dive down as far as possible in the seven-metre deep pool. When she was about five metres down, Yang Yun found she couldn't move her legs due to the freezing temperatures. Two beluga whales, Mila and Nicola, sensed that she was in trouble. Mila gripped Yang Yun's leg in her mouth and pushed Yun to the surface, saving her life.
Stories of marine mammals helping humans - and each other - date back to Ancient Greece. Although we may never be sure why they help us, many people feel that it is a good reason for us to do whatever we can to protect them.
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