Dolphin Guides Whales to sea

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - Most days, Moko the bottlenosed dolphin swims playfully with humans at a New Zealand beach. But this week, it seems, Moko found his mojo. Witnesses described Wednesday how they saw the dolphin swim up to two stranded whales and guide them to safety.

Before Moko arrived, rescue workers had been working for more than an hour to get two pygmy sperm whales, a mother and her calf, back out to sea after they were stranded Monday off Mahia Beach, said Conservation Department worker Malcolm Smith.

But Smith said the whales restranded themselves four times on a sandbar slightly out to sea from the beach, about 300 miles northeast of the capital, Wellington. It looked likely they would have to be euthanized to prevent a prolonged death, he said.

"They kept getting disorientated and stranding again," said Smith, who was among the rescuers. "They obviously couldn't find their way back past (the sandbar) to the sea."

Then along came Moko, who approached the whales and appeared to lead them as they swam 200 yards along the beach and through a channel out to the open sea.

"Moko just came flying through the water and pushed in between us and the whales," Juanita Symes, another rescuer, told The Associated Press. "She got them to head toward the hill, where the channel is. It was an amazing experience."

Anton van Helden, a marine mammals expert at New Zealand's national museum, Te Papa Tongarewa, said the reports of Moko's rescue were "fantastic" but believable because the dolphins have "a great capacity for altruistic activities."

These included evidence of dolphins protecting people lost at sea, and their playfulness with other animals.

"But it's the first time I've heard of an inter-species refloating technique. I think that's wonderful," said van Helden, who was not involved in the rescue but spoke afterward to Smith.

MID I read this also. Dolphins are incredible. I scuba dive, and when I went diving in the Florida Keys we dove with the dolphins. They are just amazing. They will play and laugh, and talk like crazy.

I know they are trying to tell us something. I just know it. They have an intelligence that far surpasses a lot of humans. What amazing creatures they are. They exude a peacefulness and serenity that you just cannot find anywhere else. They are very special creatures. I had two of them follow me everywhere I went. I dove in a hull of a ship and they followed me, and smiled the entire time. WOW

I also dove with the very precious Manatees in Florida. What awesome creatures they are too. The babies will roll over and let you rub their bellies like little puppies do. Only they are HUGE!

I read/heard somewhere a few years ago that dolphins and whales are from another planet and are here to help us hold the light for the planet while we ascend, makes perfect sense to me.

I love all the creatures MID.

Soul Matey and I have a very close friend in Mississippi who has a sanctuary for wild animals. Mostly big cats, but he does have bears and raccoons and lots of other animals. Most are feeble in some way, similar to the Eureka Springs sanctuary. A lot of them came from zoos, and people that tried to raise them from babies and when they got too old and too big they became afraid of them.

He has two cougars, named Chrissy and Jack. I guess they were named after the 3's Company characters -LOL. Anyway he warned me not to get to close to Chrissy's cage because he considered her dangerous, even more so than the tigers and lions.

MID I went to her cage - she is cross-eyed - little darling, and I looked at her and she looked so sad. I sat with my back to her cage for about 30 minutes and she finally came over and started rubbing back and forth and purring. I stuck my hand in and petted her. After that, each time we go there she runs to see me. They were incredulous that she would even allow that.

Soul Mate tells everybody that he believes I must be the only person he knows that could be lost in a forest and make friends with the bears! He says he does even worry that I would be eaten. HA HA HA

Our creatures are our advisors.

Spring, that is so awesome!!! I would love to be able to pet a big cat and/or roll around with it/play with it. I love animals so much and when one is skittish or afraid of me it really hurts my feelings!! I tell them I'm the last person on this planet they need to be afraid of!! But, I respect their space. I have a cat Reiki, that usually takes off in the other direction when I walk into a room, lately though he has actually been sleeping with me and letting me pet him. I wonder if I need to take him to the vet, he doesn't look sick. Maybe he's ascending too?