Dolphins And Animal Assisted Therapy

Some scientists who work with dolphins believe thatannoyance or danger. Just like humans, dolphins like to
these sea-dwellers show a sense to the disability andgesture when they interact with each other. To
physical trauma associated with function and pain incommunicate, they use body language or they whistle
humans, therefore making the cranio-sacral therapyand they stroke one another with their fins as if
possible. Dolphins, with their internal sonar orbonding socially. When they swim together as friends,
echo-location can feel where the person hurts thethey move synchronously leaping in and out of the
most and are able to gently nudge and play withoutwater. When they are angry or aggressive, they open
hurting the person.Once, two dolphins saved a writertheir mouths or clap their jaws violently.Dolphins can
while he was swimming far off the coast of California.dive to great depths and also can leap high over the
The man was a good swimmer and swimming hadwater. Being mammals, they need to breathe, but
become his daily routine. One day, far away from theunlike humans their breathing is voluntary. They breathe
shore, he felt very tired, too tired to lift his arms or kick.through the opening on the top of their heads. It is
Suddenly, two dolphins came to his rescue. Theypossible that dolphins can drown. When that happens
swam with their bodies touching him and theyother dolphins come to the drowning dolphin's aid,
propelled him forward by fastening their nose under hissupporting his body in such a way that his blowhole
arms to keep him afloat, until they came close to thestays above the water.To sleep, dolphins have to shut
shore where there were other people. By this time, thedown only half of their brain, which probably means
writer had regained enough strength to swim a fewthat they are always alert to danger. Dolphins also
more yards to safety. He says the dolphins didn't leavetake short naps as they float just below the surface.
immediately. They kept leaping off shore to make sureYet, unlike humans, their most active feeding time is the
he made it to land safely.Many incidents of dolphinsnight, although they spend a good amount of the day
saving people at sea have been reported. Some timelooking for food.One of the best dolphin research
ago, it was in the news that a pod of dolphinscenters is located in the Marathon Key, Florida. Here
defended a group of swimmers by circling protectivelyand at other dolphin centers around the world, the
around them to fend off the attack of the great whiteproject of aiding handicapped children with Dolphins is
shark. The swimmers were on a lifeguard trainingcarefully investigated, with the therapy based on the
swim about hundred yards off the shore. At first, thedolphin's natural desire to come into contact with
men didn't understand that there was a shark. One ofhumans. Through interaction with dolphins, children with
them swam away but was pushed back into the circleAutism, Down's Syndrome, anorexia, depression,
by the dolphins. At that time he saw a nine-foot sharkcancer, and learning disabilities have exhibited positive
two yards away from him. The men spent about fortyresults by calming down and showing a better sense
minutes before in that circle before the dolphins letof importance and self-confidence.There are, however
them swim back to the shore. Since sharks areopposing views and theories. In 2003, a report by
dolphins' greatest enemies, it is possible that theyWDCS (Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society) and
protected the men as if the swimmers were their ownHSUS (the Humane Society of the United States)
offspring.There are many different species of dolphins.claims that the risk to dolphins overweighs the positive
A familiar one is Flipper's kind, the bottlenose dolphin.effects of their interaction with humans in
One of the world's most endangered species is adolphin-petting zoos. Dolphins become obese with the
dolphin called by many names such as Beiji; Pai C'hi;excess feeding by the public and extended exposure
Chinese River Dolphin; Yangtze Dolphin; Whitefinto humans subject the animals to stress and injury.
Dolphin; Whiteflag Dolphin. It inhabits the Yangtze RiverAlso some children, even if very few, have been
in China. It is said that these animals are very close toreported to regress in their development from being
being extinct since there are only 5 of them left,pushed by their families and the fright of the animals or
whereas in 1984 there were 400.Warm-blooded likethe water.Given the positive use of dolphin and human
men, dolphins are mammals, not fish, and they givecontact, more research is needed, and attention to the
birth to one baby at a time, nursing their young up todolphin petting areas and more closely observed rules
four years. They live in social groups called pods andof hygiene and sanitation are in order, so that both
interact with each other very closely. These pods'species can continue to benefit from each other.Joy
make-up can change, since dolphins interact withCagil is an author on a site for
dolphins from other pods from time to time. A loneWriters ( Her training is in foreign languages and
dolphin that has lost his friends at sea can easily belinguistics. In her background are varied subjects such
adopted by another pod.Dolphins have powerful tailsas psychology, mental health, and visual arts.
that not only help to steer them in water, but also signal