Fearless Flippers
Though the chance of being attacked by a shark is lower than the risk of getting hit by lightning, there’s still that small, terrifying chance you might run into a face-off with Jaws while surfing. The unfortunate truth is Jaws will win—unless of course, you have some friendly flippers to rescue you. Todd Endris was surfing off the coast of Monterey, California when he was attacked by a great white shark. He was sitting on his surfboard when the shark struck him three times in the leg and torso. Endris says a group of bottle-nosed dolphins formed a protective boundary around him when they noticed the shark attacking him, subsequently saving this surfer’s life by giving him enough protection to go back to shore.
In Manfredonia, a small coastal town in the south of Italy, a friendly dolphin locals affectionately named Filippo had been a tourist attraction for years. When teenager Davide Ceci fell into the water off his father’s boat, and was minutes away from drowning, Filippo appeared and pushed him up towards safety before Davide’s father was unaware that Davide had even fallen into the water. Filippo brought him close to the boat, where David’s father grabbed him and pulled him away from danger.
Photo source: francethisway.com
From dogs digging tunnels in the snow to dolphins rescuing surfers from sharks, animals are daring, fearless, intelligent, and let’s face it, more courageous than many people we know.
