Dolphin asks diver for help (video)

An bottle nosed dolphin found itself unable to swim freely because of a hook and fishing line restricting its pectoral fin. The clever mammal signaled for help.

What ensued was a rescue mission led by divers in the area. The dolphin cooperated and the video of the rescue mission is truly something to behold.

In 2013, Keller Laros was diving off the coast of Hawaii when he came across the unlucky dolphin. The mammal had gotten tangled in discarded fishing gear.

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In a video taken by a fellow diver, Martina Wing, the animal appears to ask Laros for help. The dolphin swims up to him and “shows” him where the hook and line is. He explained:

"I have removed hooks and fishing lines from many manta rays, a few turtles. [I] even tried a shark once. The shark was not successful."

The dolphin stays close by as he reaches into his belt for a pair of scissors. He manages to remove the line as a fellow diver swims over to assist.

The mammal even shifted its body to accommodate its rescuers. Unfortunately, they failed to remove the hook but with the line gone the dolphin was able to swim back into the ocean's abyss.

Laros and his wife are the co-founders of the Manta Pacific Research Foundation, a manta ray protection group. He shared that although he's rescued many animals from hooks and entanglements, this was the only dolphin.

Untangling marine life can be dangerous even for qualified individuals. However, it's much easier when the animals themselves appear to be asking for help.

Back in July, kayakers from Barra Island off the coast of Scotland rescued a dolphin that was tangled in seaweed.

They used their paddles to untangle the weeds and the uninjured dolphin leaped out of the water in a display of gratitude before swimming off. Read more about it here.

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