Dolphin Stranding In Brazil Triggers Mad Dash To Save Animals (VIDEO)

It was just another day at the beach--or so it seemed till dozens of dolphins suddenly swam in with the surf and got stranded in the sandy shallows. The dramatic video of the stranding in the Brazilian town of Arraial do Cabo--now a YouTube sensation--shows humans rushing to help their fellow mammals, pushing and pulling hard to help the animals reach deeper water.

Were the dolphins saved? To find out, you'll have to view the video. But what would lead seemingly healthy dolphins to swim onto shore? And what causes similar strandings of whales and other animals?

"There is no single answer for marine mammal strandings, just as there is no single answer for what causes car crashes or traffic jams," Dr. Darlene R. Ketten, senior scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Mass., told The Huffington Post in an email. After viewing the video, she speculated that "the pod may have been feeding very close to shore and then were caught in a strong current or wave area and pushed onto shore by the water...We do see feeding groups getting caught in the shallows in situations similar to this in many locations, and the tendency varies by species, seasons, and circumstances."

Strandings of dolphins and whales are more common than is commonly realized, according to Dr. Ketten--with 1,000 or so animals a year stranding themselves in U.S. coastal waters. Statistics show frequent strandings among seals and turtles as well as marine mammals.

Dr. Ketten commended the people who tried to save the dolphins, pointing out that handing dolphins can be risky for both species--especially when the animals thrash wildly, as they do in the video. Overall, she said, it was certainly no "day at the beach."

Comments

[1337sciencehax]

05:56 AM on 07/08/2012

also this has as no connection to certain groups' hunting practices that business is pretty far off base

[1337sciencehax]

05:54 AM on 07/08/2012

The turbulence at :53 is another dolphin or large fish splashing, a whales spout is more distinct. The most realistic situation is a sonic disturbance that caused the dolphins to be motivated to leave the water. Most dolphins in that part of the world are not native, but hunt schools of fish in deeper offshore environments. So 30+ dolphins hurling themselves onto the sand violently while screeching in a tourist shallow with no visible prey/predator doesn't fit the bill. Whatever military sub was in the area bumped their new system too loud and dolphins don't come equipped with earplugs cuz

[charlie v]

08:18 AM on 03/13/2012

I can't seem to find this story on Huff Post about Donald Trump's son killing wild animals in Africa. There is a photo of him holding the severed tail of an elephant on TMZ, and I can't get the image out of my head: http://www.tmz.com/2012/03/13/donald-trump-jr-in-defense-of-animals/4/#c5222771
Why is this not headline story on Huff Post. It is outrageous. A millionaire's son hunting "planted" endangered wildlife.

[lynx781]

01:02 AM on 03/13/2012

Thank you my friends.

[mari1907v]

11:34 PM on 03/12/2012

god bless you all .thank they touch my heart

[aicequeen36]

12:57 AM on 03/12/2012

I read somewhere recently that some dolphin packs have developed a new way to fish for their food.They find a school of fish and sorround them and drive the fish close to shore on purpose,so that each member of the dolphin family can swim into the center of the fish and eat . They take turns doing this,and it does lead to them being stranded at times..

[Sunwyn Ravenwood]

07:26 AM on 03/11/2012

I found the humans as interesting as the dolphins. The lady who said there was a whale at .53 was right, if you look closely you can see the spray. They must have been startled into going the wrong way.

The first three men to move into the water all had bright orange tee-shirts. Since this is unlikely to be a coincidence, I assume they were the lifeguards. Once they started moving in to rescue the dolphins the other men moved in too. At first no one knew how to move such large slippery animals, but a soon as one person got a dolphin by the tail and pulled it out into deeper water all the other men did too. You can see them looking around to see what others are doing.

This is a great illustration of the dynamics of human society. Humans have an inborn need to be helpful and cooperative with each other, but they need leaders to show them what to do, When the leaders do something successfully the other humans will imitate them. That is how we went from being naked hunters and scavengers on the savanna to building cities and spaceships and symphony orchestras.

[ginadeoliveira2008]

11:46 AM on 03/11/2012

This rescue took place at Praia Grande, Arraial do Cabo. For years I had a house exactly in front of that spot. Whales are rare but they pass by sometimes, dolphins are very common there. The men in orange tee-shirts are not lifeguards as there are no lifeguards there, but this beach is usually crowded with fishermen, they might be the ones who led the rescue.

[Sunwyn Ravenwood]

04:09 PM on 03/11/2012

Thank you for the info. My other thought was that they were members of a club or soccer fans, in any case they took the lead and saved the dolphins. Good for them!

[spiff3]

05:25 PM on 03/11/2012

I think the guys with orange t-shirts belonged to a cleaning crew from the local prefecture. In several of the reports in Brazil (for example, in O Globo), a cleaning crew is mentioned as jumping to action.

[max pain]

08:50 PM on 03/10/2012

good thing for the dolphins it wasn't in china?

Now the dolphins will go speculate about us just as we do when they save us from sharks, "Why did they save us?"

It's good to pay them back for the good deeds they do.

[darkmark]

06:34 PM on 03/10/2012

well good people, nice to see humans doing what we're supposed to do. just hope those dolphins weren't saying, "no, no there are giant monsters out there trying to eat us. no, whelp, eeuuh, well, it looks like we'll have to hit the beaches further away."

[lensamy]

03:43 PM on 03/10/2012

aww... this made me cry a little.

[Susan McCoy]

03:19 PM on 03/10/2012

There is a whale behind them. Watch at :53. You can see him blowing in the distance.

[Sunwyn Ravenwood]

07:17 AM on 03/11/2012

Wow! You have good eyes! I had to hit pause to see it. Thanks.!

[ynotzepol10]

01:29 PM on 03/10/2012

Great job Brazilians, way to save those dolphins!!!!!

[MissingAmerica]

10:39 AM on 03/10/2012

How fortunate for all concerned, dolphin and man! First, thanks for the video! Then, thanks to those who were at the beach and went by their own instincts to save these dolphins. One thing that became apparent is the moment the "wildly thrashing" dolphins became still the moment the human had their tail, something which to me would indicate that they somehow knew the intentions were good. Man and animal followed their instincts that day, and all were better off for it. Animals are here to teach us compassion, and this video demonstrates how well it can work. Kudos to all those who followed their hearts and not their heads to save these creatures. Life will present you all with more special moments. May you be as wise in your actions then as you are now.

[Kyusokuu]

09:06 AM on 03/10/2012

Wow, they came exactly in front of them! How lucky to be there and be able to help-amazing story....on another note that was a beautiful beach.

[DrReve]

06:11 AM on 03/10/2012

Wow, my eyes are watery.. A beautiful thing to see.