Tag Archives: dolphins

Who’s Terrorizing Dolphins?

As if the sea life in the Gulf Coast hasn’t already been traumatized enough with the BP oil spill, now someone is mutilating and killing dolphins. The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS) in Gulfport, Alabama found a dolphin without a lower jaw.  The week before that, a dolphin with gunshot wounds was discovered.  Another dolphin turned up dead having been stabbed with a screwdriver.  There was even a dolphin that had its tail cut off.  All in all, six dolphins have been killed since the past few months. I’ve never understood how someone can kill an animal, especially one … Continue reading →

Dolphins Save Dog

I can’t help it, I love animal savior stories. Be it animals saving humans or each other, animals from the same species saving each other, or different geneses still looking out for one another, I eat up these tales. In late February another such story emerged, reported by NBC’s southwest Florida affiliate. Cindy Burnett’s Doberman, Turbo, disappeared one Sunday after the gate had been left open overnight. As soon as Burnett and her sons discovered the open gate they began searching for Turbo. They were worried, because Turbo’s 11 years old, a bit late in life to have the energy … Continue reading →

Amazing Animal Videos

A while back I wrote about a baby water buffalo who had survived a lion and a crocodile attack –all of which was caught on tape. I was so impressed by that baby water buffalo and his brave herd. (The herd had come back to help save the baby and chased off the lions.) But recently two other amazing animal videos have come to my attention. Dolphins Try to Save Their Own On YouTube there are a ton of dolphin rescue videos. Mostly of people saving dolphins, though. There are a couple of dolphins saving whales, but the other day … Continue reading →

The Smartest Species

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I saw a headline on MSN about the smartest animal species… of course I had to click that link! The article compared signs of human intelligence — like making tools, solving problems, self-awareness, and more — with animal behaviors. Humans are the top of the list of the smartest species (at least as far as we know). Next on the list of smartest animals came chimpanzees. Humans and chimps share a lot of the same genomes — and chimp behavior demonstrates that some of that is shared intelligence. Among documented intelligent behaviors in chimps are: Making and using tools Hunting … Continue reading →

The Long and Short Of It

Some things you just have to see to believe. Such is the case with the world’s tallest living man. I saw his picture on the “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not” website and my jaw nearly hit the floor. His name is Bao Xishun, and he stands 7-foot-9-inches tall. But, what makes his story even more interesting (and this has nothing to do with his inclusion on the website) is what he is doing with his record setting height. Xishun made headlines yesterday for using his long arms to save two dolphins. It really is an incredible story. A couple of … Continue reading →

Decorating Kid’s Rooms: Compromise

I finally figured it out. I know what I’m going to do in my youngest girls’ bedroom, and it’s about time. Right now, it isn’t exactly decorated. I did make nice curtains with a floral pattern in different shades of purple and I bought solid purple sheets, but the rest of it is pretty hit and miss. I was having trouble because my girls have very different likes, tastes, and personalities. They do share two things in common. My youngest adores purple and her older sister like it too. The older of the two loves horses, and the youngest likes … Continue reading →

Fun With Flipper

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my. Oh, they used to excite my 2-year-old daughter, but not anymore. Now, it’s more like dolphins, stingrays, and sea lions, oh boy. Christmas is still four months away, but she is already prepping for our annual trip to Hawaii. The first item on our agenda: a trip to Sea Life Park Hawaii. Sea Life Park is a world-class marine attraction located just 15 miles from Waikiki on Oahu’s scenic Makapuu Point. I visited the park as a child, but so much has changed since then. Back then the park catered to the average … Continue reading →

Swim, Laugh, and Thrive With Dolphins!

There is something powerful about humans interacting with dolphins. These tranquil, intelligent creatures have been shown to be gentle with children, almost sensing their vulnerability. The amazing impact that dolphins have on special needs children and adults has been documented and described frequently. Dolphin Assisted Therapy (DAT) has become an accepted and recognized form of treatment for children with disabilities of all kinds. Parents have reported that after their children had the experience of swimming with dolphins their ability to communicate increased, and they “opened up.” Children with pervasive development disorder and particularly those on the autism spectrum have often … Continue reading →