A Mother's Wrath

I have always considered Cetaceans of intelligence at least equal to that of Humans or even possibly superior.  They've been around 25 Million Years in their present evolutionary state and Humans have been around a paltry 100 Thousand.  We should learn from that.

I never fed the Dolphins I've gotten to know.  I did not want to be associated with being a food source and the control issues that raises.  Tactile interaction only.

I was well known by all these Cetaceans before any these incidents, having spent so much time at the pool.  We knew and trusted each other very well.  When you can't talk to each other, all that is left is eye contact, body language, and actual touch.  Having a good "Poker Face" is also important.  By that I mean the ability to stand your ground, be calm and in so doing show your trust.  Not just look calm but be calm.  Some of the tests of your trust can be nerve racking.

Always have your fingernails well manicured.  A rough nail can cause problems and be misinterpreted by them.

Never forget it's an entirely different culture.

different rules
different laws
different taboos
different beliefs

Somethings they do may be personally shocking at first.  Don't forget you're dealing with a totally alien culture.  They are more open about somethings than humans usually are.  They are not doing it to insult or shock you.  It is just how they do things.

My usual stance at the pool is with my arms in the water most of the time.  Reaching out offering my hand underwater where they can see and sonar it.  You have to get wet if you're gonna work with Cetaceans.  I do this to give them the choice of contact or not.  It is also a show of my trust of them.  

The development of mutual trust is a progression. One level of trust leading to a higher level of trust and so on.  Letting them lead the way.  It must progress equally on both sides or it will not progress at all.  I just kept reaching out to show I was ready and they would swim by, maybe close enough to touch, maybe not.  It was like a game.  No matter how far out I reached, they could always stay just one inch further out.

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A Bottlenose Dolphin had given birth in the petting pool.  The park, probably having realized too late she was pregnant, was probably afraid to move her out fearing a miscarriage.  Eventually she began showing it off by swimming close by the edge of the tank with the calf riding along in mom's slipstream on the side towards the edge of the tank.  Always just out of reach as usual.  Another game ?

On one pass, the baby pooped as it was passing front of me.  I thought to myself "why you little stinker, that's not polite".  I reached down and gently caught its right fluke in the web of my right thumb for a split second and pulled away.  This extra drag caused him to drop out of mom's slipstream and stop moving.  This startled him as he froze for a moment and then with a couple quick tail pumps was gone.  Mom immediately spun around and came up over by my left arm in the water.  I could see she was a bit upset with me when I made eye contact and she proceeded to do a mock rake on my left arm to show her displeasure with me at what I had done.  

I knew to keep completely still at this point.  To try and move away while she was doing this meant risking turning my arm into hamburger.  Remaining still showed her I trusted she would not actually hurt me.  She stopped moving with her mouth open and my elbow halfway in staring at me.   I put my elbow all the way in until it touched the teeth at the back of her mouth to show I understood and submitted myself to her reprimand.  This surprised her as she quickly backed up [ not something easy for a Cetacean to do ] and got completely off my arm and just stayed there staring at me.  I looked back to my right and the calf had returned was hovering out of reach nearby watching.  Mom is still hovering off to my left watching us.  I slowly reach my right hand out toward the calf.  Then I felt something grab my left hand.  I stopped and looked over and it is mom holding the palm of my left hand in the end of her mouth looking at me.  I gently closed my hand around her lower jaw so there is no accidental slippage and scratch her under the chin with my right letting her know I understand.  I reach back over towards the calf and waited.  It [ I never learned the sex of it ] hovered about six inches away for a few seconds then slowly approached.  I gave it a melon rub and a gentle scratch under the chin.  

This went on for a minute or so and then the calf swam off.  Mom opened her jaws to let me go.  I pulled her a bit closer and gave her a few good rubs to show my appreciation at what she had done.  I opened my hand and she swam off.

"Dumb Animals" my Gluteus Maximus.  What other captive animal would act this way if you messed with it's child despite how well you might know each other?