Whale saves diver

Apparently a Beluga whale rescued a diver in the whale's tank in China. Here's the story. It's very interesting to wonder whether this was just blind instinct? Or did the whale know exactly what it was doing? Perhaps it's just instinct for a marine mammal to recognize the signs of another mammal in distress. Perhaps it's a maternal instinct (similar to a baby newborn whale that needs help to ascend for its first breath). But perhaps, just perhaps, the whale knew that the human needed help, and it decided to act just because it wanted to. Who knows?

Why is this important to us? Well, first, it's just interesting. Second, it's just shows another facet of the human-animal bond. That's why our pets (read: 'family members with fur') mean so much to us. They respond to us on so many different levels. It's not just about the food and shelter, they really pay attention to us, and we pay attention to them. It may not be a life saving event, but every day our pets show us some little interaction that makes us think there is a deeper connection. Some little event that shows us they understand more than we think they should. Are we fooling ourselves? Who knows?

Then that just leaves the question as to why anyone would want to have a breath-holding contest in arctic temperature water...