Dolphins non-human person?

[H.H. Holmes]

Dolphins have, in some instances, protected humans from sharks. I don't know if there is any video of this happening, but there have been many first hand accounts of dolphins "protecting" humans from shark attacks.

Here is one article about a man who was getting attacked by a Great White shark, he would have died, but a pod of dolphins came and formed a protective ring around him. My link

Edited June 7, 2011 by H.H. Holmes

[cetacean]

The reason for this is probably:

Obviously all animals should be treated respectfully but some animals may be more likely to suffer more under certain conditions which is why certain species of animals-like dolphins- do particularly poorly in zoos.

Where did you read that? It's just that I find it a bit strange, not because of the human cruelty involved sadly, that I can see happening but because bottlenose dolphins (which general term dolphin is most often used to refer to) live in a fission-fusion society, the longest and strongest association are actually between adult male pairs (which are often formed to sexually coerce females in the first place. Pods of dolphins often change members basically and there are few stable relationships. With a mother calf pair I could see the mother responding to her calf of course or maybe even mother, calf and older sibling. A large number of presumably unrelated bottlenose dolphins responding seems a little unlikely although they may turn up out of sheer curiosity, but on the basis of bottlenose dolphin society it seems a little unlikely that they were in fact trying to 'save' it.

In a highly social species as orcas, the largest dolphin species, this is an entirely different matter. They do tend to stick around when pod members strand and (at least the residents) live in tight matrilineal groups where calves never leave their mother so social bonds are a lot more stronger and families will be less likely to leave another member in distress.

Dolphins have extreme bonds with their offspring. Males will often stay with their mothers through their life times. Female dolphins who lose their young have been known to starve themselves to death.

Where on earth are you getting YOUR information from? Japan?

Edited June 7, 2011 by cetacean