Dolphin saves the whales

A dolphin called Moko makes headlines - and possibly history - by apparently saving two stranded whales

A dolphin called Moko has made headlines, and possibly history by apparently saving two stranded whales. The pair of pygmy whales, a mother and child were stranded on the East Coast of New Zealand's North Island.

Rescuers struggled for an hour and a half to get the whales back into the water, only to see them beached another four times and were starting to contemplate euthanasia.

(It) was about to give up, and usually when that happens, the whales will stay on the beach, and we have to take the strays away from the situation.

Entered Moko who approached the whales, leading them along the beach, and through a channel out to open sea.

She came directly to where we were and established contact, and immediately those two whales seemed to relax.

The speculation Moko responded to the whales' distress calls.

She did in a few minutes work, we actually being totally in a fit-to-fit doing over an hour and a half.

Moko's well-known to the locals and anecdotal evidence abounds of dolphin's protecting people lost at sea. But dolphin's helping other marine life, it's virtually unheard of ...