The Good News is…

by Melanie White

The good news is… a mother bottlenose dolphin off the coast of New Zealand adopted a baby pilot whale.  While it has been previously documented that dolphins adopt the babies of other species, usually there's not such a big difference in the size of the species.  Trying to explain the dolphin's behavior, researcher Jochen Zaeschmar says that it's possible that "she might have lost her own calf."

A similar incident occurred in 2019 when researchers in French Polynesia found a bottlenose dolphin that had adopted a melon-headed whale calf, and that the pair stayed together for three years.  It's possible that the reason for this behavior can be explained as a misplaced mothering instinct when a mother dolphin loses her own calf and happens across a calf who has lost its mother.  However, the French Polynesian researchers suggest that this behavior could just be part of a mother's personality.

I love dolphins!  When I lived in New Zealand for a year, I enjoyed watching them swim and play by the boat.  I've also had the chance to touch one.  Her skin was so soft and smooth.  Someone also told me that if you're pregnant, you shouldn't swim with dolphins as they often form a circle around the mother-to-be and accidentally bump into her in an effort to protect her.  I think it's amazing that they can sense when a human is pregnant and so sweet that they would want to protect her.

I wish we all had the instinct to befriend not just children without parents but also anyone in need.  There are so many homeless and hungry people in the world.  Sure, we can say about some with drug or alcohol problems that it's their own fault to be in this situation.  But how does that help?  Isn't the reason so many of us work crappy jobs that we hate so that we won't end up in similar situations?  As the proverb says, "there, but the grace of God, go I."

I think we should help others whenever we can in whatever way we can.  For me, therein lies happiness.

Quote:  Be the reason someone believes in the goodness of people.

Joke:  They say that everyone creates their own reality.  I just wish I wasn't so creative.

Advice: If you want to be happy, do what you can to make others happy.