Dolphins Help Seal Find His/Her Way Home

Lately there have been a number of stories in the media about dolphins; there was the injured dolphin who found his way into the Gowanus Canal and later died amidst the filth there; there was the dolphin with fishing line wrapped around his fin who appealed to some divers for help; and there was the disabled dolphin who was adopted by a pod of sperm whales.

These stories appeal to us because humans love dolphins--they are among the most charismatic of all the animals; intelligent, friendly, and compassionate.

In today's story, a family of bottlenose dolphins help a young seal pup who has been stranded, and has become too exhausted to swim. With the help of the dolphins, the seal regains his strength and begins to swim again, and while we don't know what his fate is, he looks to be strong enough to be on his own again.

Dolphins are known to engage in this kind of altruistic behavior--not just to their own kind, but to members of other species, including humans. That is certainly one reason why we love them so much.