Featured Image: Orlando Weekly
Earlier this month, a mother dolphin was spotted pushing her dead calf around near the Indian Shores in Pinellas County.
The heartbreaking video was captured by See Through Canoe and shared on their social channels. The video shows the grieving mother visibly upset by the death of her calf.
Mother #dolphin not ready to let go of her dead calf and pushing it through the intracoastal waterway.
It’s hard to say for sure without examination, but the calf may have been hit by a boat. Please don’t assume that because #dolphins are fast that you won’t hit them. #sad pic.twitter.com/Le2MAwvPIB— See Through Canoe (@SeeThroughCanoe) June 3, 2019
According See Through Canoe, a company that provides canoe tours in the area, the calf may have been hit by a boat. However, the cause of death is still uncertain.
It is a difficult sight to see, but it does provide insight into the emotions of dolphins. Last summer, a killer whale of the southern resident pod was spotted carrying around her own dead calf for over two weeks. A 2018 study showed that dolphins typically surround their dead for hours or days after death on a regular basis, so this behavior is not necessarily uncommon.
It is hoped that the mother can recover emotionally from this experience and rejoin her pod without any problems. Sometimes, these grieving mothers refuse to eat and end up passing away as well. Researchers in the area will continue to monitor the situation for days to come.
Read more from Fox News, here.