Tuna nets and tail-walking

by Tom Hughes in At home on 22.08.08

Ah, the dolphin. Enduring symbol of nature at its most unfettered and playful. Even when pent up in the most claustrophobic tank, the dolphin’s apparently indestructible joie de vivre can bring a mirthful tear to the eye.

I recall being taken as a toddler to a dank underground aquarium on many a happy occasion by my grandmother.

These experiences left an indelible impression upon my mind, as the carefree creatures towed a little boat in the gloom, or cavorted through rings. It was always amazing to witness their keen intelligence and crowd-pleasing antics.

Later, of course, they became the poster children for the nascent environmental movement. Endless important environmental messages were heralded by a dolphin snagged in a tuna net or accessorising a pectoral fin with a plastic six-pack holder.

But it’s not all bad. Perhaps we are expanding their horizons as well.

I hold dear a very precious experience which involved a pod of orcas which accompanied me (at the time it felt like a personal command performance) on a journey up the fjords of Canada’s
Inside Passage.

I had been standing out alone on deck in the freezing air as we headed towards Alaska, straining for hours to catch a glimpse of whales.

The killer whales - not whales, of course, but technically the largest of the dolphin family - rose up soundlessly, effortlessly accompanying the stern of the ship, parallel to where I was standing. Moving purposefully between the two banks of land, as if powering along an aquatic motorway, the animals remained alongside for several minutes.

We were moving together in the same direction, with a fixed goal. Out of civilisation and into the wild north, perfectly in time.

We shared a moment.

Now, admittedly, when they eventually slipped away it was not done with a theatrical flourish, leaping clear of the water and rolling a white belly as a means of bidding farewell. Nor did they slap the water with their tails or beg to have their teeth cleaned with a comedy giant toothbrush.

However, it seems at least one dolphin has taken its ‘unnatural’, man-made lessons, and is spreading them for its own amusement in the wild.

A group of dolphins based in waters near Adelaide has taken to ‘tail-walking’ - a trick which does not normally occur naturally, but is exclusively taught to performing animals.

Experts believe one of them has taught the other members of the social group after spending a short time in captivity 20 years ago. Now it seems to be a unique part of their culture, done for the sheer enjoyment of it.

Yes, we can learn a lot from the dolphin. Green messages and simple messing around. It has got that tricky work/life balance just right.

IMAGE by Flickr user gwaar