Saw this article and immediately thought of frequent commenter Jana, whose Prospect, KY hacienda is replete with all kinds of dolphin figurines and such. Here’s the key bit as far as I’m concerned:
Perhaps the homicidal-dolphin phenomenon is more prevalent than we know. As Kathleen Dudzinski, my research supervisor at the Dolphin Communication Project, used to say: ‘You never hear from the people that the dolphins didn’t save.’ It might well be that some dolphins are pathologically indifferent to our fate, leaving us to drown when they could have easily saved our lives. Although the idea of killer-dolphins sounds ridiculous, the world has seen stranger things. One news item from 2012 tells the tale of a fisherman lost at sea in the Pacific who was led to safety not by a dolphin, but by a shark. He was lucky that friendly dolphins did not show up to drive the friendly shark away, or he might never have been heard from again.
I always thought the idea of a cute dolphin was misdirected – after all, if they’re so happy and carefree and fun-loving, why do sharks steer clear of them like The Great White Shank hearing about a Michelle Obama TV interview? The sharks obviously know something we don’t know. And while I enjoyed “Flipper” as much as any kid did, a dolphin in captivity is just normally going to perform whatever way it needs to in order to be fed fish – heck, our rabbits are at their cutest when they’re hungry. They’re no stooges, we humans are just the idiots.
I’m not sure exactly the point of this post, but I’m sure Jana and I can Skype it out one of these days…
Yeah….that SKYPE thing that I have been trying to set up with you for MONTHS. I SKYPE regularly with Latvia so there is no excuse from AZ.
Dolphins are to be respected….they survive in the wild by being intimidating…they work together and that seems to send the message to sharks. The ones the general public refer to have been born and trained in captivity. The Dolphin Encounter in Nassau is most likely the only one that does it right…the dolphins are in an inlet on an island. I know the people who run this facility and they are awesome and truly love these animals. They are in natural pools that are huge and could leave if they wanted. One year when a big hurricane hit the island they gathered all the boys and girls together in one safe lagoon and 12 months later….BABIES. The guys sneak over to the girls area at time for what I guess one could call a dolphin booty call….BABIES. In the wild they are wild and survive because they are good at it.
Comment by jana — November 8, 2013 @ 7:01 am
Doug, do this for yourself and Tracey. Trans Siberian Orchestra will be in Phoenix Dec 1. GET TICKETS and go. I promise you, you will be glad you went. This will be my 6th year to see them and for the first time they are in Lou.
It is an experience you will never forget. They are amazing and some of the most proficient singers and musicians I have ever seen. I got tickets early and am in the 4th row from the stage. This show inundates all the senses except taste (don’t know how they’d do that) in the most spectacular show I have ever seen. Promise me you will get tickets.
Oh yeah, and that SKYPE thing? I am still waiting.
Comment by jana — November 9, 2013 @ 6:06 am
Would love to, Jana, but no money this year. Maybe next when the debt is paid off. We’ll have to do DirecTV music channels and CDs. Hope they come your way again to Louisville!
Comment by The Great White Shank — November 14, 2013 @ 5:33 pm