Despite the calf's beginning to decompose, the mother refuses to let go

Mar 28, 2013 13:35 GMT  ·  By

The footage above (which I must admit is the saddest I've had a chance to see in quite a while) shows one mother dolphin refusing to let go of her calf despite the latter's being dead for several days.

In fact, it appears that the baby dolphin is already beginning to decompose. However, its mother insists on swimming at the water's surface, perhaps hoping that the calf might wake up and reach out for a breath of air.

The video was shot by whale watchers aboard Captain Dave's Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari in Californian waters.

“I believe this calf has been dead for many days, possibly weeks. You can see the flesh is decaying. In my nearly twenty years on the water whale watching I have never seen this behavior,” Capt. Dave Anderson said.