itadmin
Dolphins and whales are known for their intelligence. Researchers have even discovered that some species of dolphins give each other names. That’s really quite amazing! And as a Doberman Pinscher on Marco Island, Florida found out, they are also remarkably compassionate.
Turbo, the Doberman in question, decided to have an adventure and escaped the confines of his yard. Sadly this adventure included falling into a canal, the Social reports. There were no humans around to help the struggling dog.
The situation was turning grim
But then, the situation started to look up. There might not have been any humans around but a pod of dolphins discovered the 11-year-old dog splashing in distress and decided to investigate. Almost immediately they knew the poor dog was in trouble.
Turbo couldn’t scale the walls of the canal — they were too high.
Turbo was frantic and growing exhausted
So the dolphins responded by making a ruckus. That drew the attention of nearby neighbors, The Week reports.
“In fact, they made so much noise that some people who lived nearby happened to hear them and investigated why they were being so loud,” said one witness. “Then they noticed the dog trapped below the wall in the canal water.”
Now things were looking up
And for Cindy Burnett, Turbo’s worried owner, the dolphin-aided rescue seemed like “a miracle.” Burnett told NBC2 she and her sons had been looking all over for the dog but to no avail.
“I searched and searched and called his name,” she said. “I drove through this street at least five or six times.”
Firemen arrived at the scene and pulled Turbo from the water. The poor dog was shaken by the situation but was otherwise okay. But if the dolphins hadn’t arrived, there’s a good chance he wouldn’t have survived.
The firemen say they believe Turbo may have been in the water for as long as 15 hours. That’s a dangerously long time to keep swimming. And since the canal was full of salt water, Turbo didn’t have the chance to drink. If he had, it just would have made him dehydrated.
Nothing short of remarkable
Quite obviously dolphins are very intelligent. Their brain to body ratio is second only to humans and they are one of the most playful creatures in the ocean. And like humans, chimpanzees, elephants, and some birds, dolphins can easily recognize their own reflections in mirrors.
Scientists at Baltimore’s National Aquarium believe this capability may “correlate with higher forms of empathy and altruistic behavior.” These beautiful creatures have even saved human lives on many occasions, including some hairy-scary instances where sharks were involved.
And Turbo’s unique predicament is evidence of just how deep that empathy and altruistic behavior is.
Featured image courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via Flickr, license 2.0
