A swimmer that went missing off the coast of Ireland was rescued thanks to a pod of dolphins that stayed around him and made it easier for rescuers to find him.
After the man’s clothes and belongings were seen on a beach, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) went out on a lifeboat and scanned the waters in search of the swimmer. The man was then found surrounded by dolphins which drew the rescue boat’s attention.
The RNLI’s Gerard O’Donnell told the BBC that the rescuers had been “scanning the water for any sign of movement and were worried with light fading that they would not find anyone.”
“At 20:30, the volunteer lifeboat crew with Fenit RNLI spotted a pod of dolphins and a head above the water about two-and-a-half miles off Castlegregory beach. The casualty was conscious and immediately recovered onto the lifeboat and brought Fenit Harbour to be taken to hospital.”
Dolphins are known to be amicable animals and bottlenose dolphins share certain personality traits with humans, especially curiosity and sociability, a new study found.
Personality structure in bottlenose dolphins, published in the Journal of Comparative Psychology, found that “like primates, dolphins are intelligent and social. We reasoned that if factors such as intelligence and gregariousness contribute to personality, then dolphins should have similar personality traits to primates.”
Picture: Getaway gallery
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