SAVING THE DOLPHINS BIG READ. Nonfiction feature. When dolphins like these are in danger, this amazing man comes to their rescue.

Transcription

1 BIG READ Nonfiction feature SAVING THE DOLPHINS JUERGEN & CHRISTINE SOHNS/GETTY IMAGES (DOLPHINS JUMPING); HARDY JONES PRODUCTIONS (HARDY JONES) When dolphins like these are in danger, this amazing man comes to their rescue. BY LAUREN TARSHIS THINK AND READ Problem and Solution In this article, a man works hard to solve a difficult problem. How does he do it? Hardy Jones 4 STORYWORKS JR.

2 DON T MISS OUR VIDEO READ- ALOUD! LOOK FOR WORD NERD S 5 WORDS IN BOLD Hardy Jones got a phone call early one day: Two dolphins were in trouble. They d been caught in the ocean, near Nicaragua (nik-uh-rah-gwuh). The men who caught them had wanted to sell them to a hotel. There, guests would have been able to swim with the dolphins. But the deal didn t work out. So the men left the dolphins to die in a filthy tank. filthy: very dirty I was on a plane as fast as I could move, Jones says. The dolphins were named Nica and Blue Fields. They were weak, hungry, and scared. Leaders in Nicaragua had asked the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) to help. But no one knew whether the animals would live. PAUSE AND THINK: How did Nica and Blue Fields end up in the tank? Æ OCTOBER/NOVEMBER

3 HONDURAS Area where the dolphins were caught EL SALVADOR NICARAGUA Managua Bluefields Caribbean Sea ATLANTIC OCEAN Area of map PACIFIC OCEAN COSTA RICA 0 50 MI Dolphin Habitat Hardy Jones named the dolphins Nica and Blue Fields after the area off the coast of Nicaragua where they were captured. The Dolphin Defender There was one way to save them. But it was risky. WSPA scientists and soldiers from Nicaragua would try to rescue the dolphins. Then the animals would ride two boats and a helicopter. They would go back to where they d been caught. Jones had a critical role: He would film it all. Jones has made films about dolphins for almost 40 years. The films show how humans are hurting them. People who see his films have helped critical: important 6 ST O R Y W O R K S J R. Should You Swim With a Dolphin? For humans, swimming with a dolphin can be fun. But experts say these wild animals belong in the ocean, not a pool or tank. save millions of these creatures. His nickname is the Dolphin Defender. Jones filmed Nica and Blue Fields being lifted out of the water on fabric. It took four men to carry each of the animals to a boat. The men covered the dolphins with a kind of sunscreen. Nica closed her eyes. She didn t fight. But Blue Fields made quiet whistling noises. He s crying, Jones said softly. Even if the dolphins didn t live, Jones would show the world their story. PAUSE AND THINK: What was Hardy Jones s job during the dolphin rescue? SHUTTERSTOCK.COM (WATER BACKGROUND); JIM MCMAHON/MAPMAN (MAP); ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES (SWIMMING WITH DOLPHIN) U.S.

4 Saving a Stranded Dolphin Hardy Jones helps a dolphin forced onshore by hunters. Jones started making movies about dolphins in the 1970s, when this photo was taken. Tk Tk Fighting Back Animal supporters in London, England, gather to let people know about Japan s cruel dolphin hunts. HOWARD HALL/HARDY JONES PRODUCTIONS (BEACHED DOLPHIN); KIRSTY O CONNOR/PA WIRE VIA ZUMA PRESS/NEWSCOM (PROTESTERS) 6 Million Dead When Jones started his work, thousands of dolphins were dying every year. The biggest problem was how tuna fish were caught. In the ocean, tuna swim beneath dolphins. Because of this, the nets used to catch tuna would also trap dolphins. Since the 1950s, millions of dolphins have died from the nets. Another problem was the brutal dolphin hunts in Japan. The youngest and cutest dolphins had to perform for humans in aquariums. The rest were killed. brutal: cruel Jones made a film about these cruel events. When people saw it, they became outraged. Many fishermen stopped their hunts. This saved thousands of dolphins. It was the first time I realized how powerful a man with a camera could be, Jones has said. Jones made another film about the dolphins dying in tuna nets. Many people who saw the film stopped buying tuna. Because of this, American tuna companies don t hurt dolphins when they fish. PAUSE AND THINK: How did tuna fishing harm dolphins? Æ OCTOBER/NOVEMBER

5 DOLPHINS IN DANGER How does overfishing hurt these animals? 1. Fishermen catch too many fish more than humans will actually eat. 2. Fish are killed before they have a chance to breed, or have babies. 3. The number of fish in the ocean goes down. 4. Animals that eat these fish, like dolphins, starve. Truly Happy? But dolphins are still in danger. This is because of ocean pollution and hunting. Fishing too much hurts them too. (See Dolphins in Danger, above.) Another problem is that so many wild dolphins are caught. Then they are forced to be in dolphin shows and swim-with-dolphins programs at hotels. Those hotels often show photos of excited guests riding on dolphins. The animals seem to be smiling with joy. But dolphins don t smile the way pollution: trash and chemicals that make a place dirty and unsafe humans do. Their mouths turn up without the dolphins even trying. It doesn t mean they re happy. Even a dolphin that s in pain looks like it s smiling. Some aquariums take great care of their dolphins. But in the wild, dolphins swim up to 100 miles a day. They have many friends. Could they ever be happy in a tank with just a few other dolphins? More than half of wild dolphins die soon after being caught. PAUSE AND THINK: Why might dolphins be unhappy when they don t live in the wild? BROWN BIRD DESIGN (GRAPHIC ARTWORK) 8 STORYWORKS JR.

6 The Joy of Freedom In the wild, dolphins swim up to 100 miles in one day. They also form friendships that last many years. SHUTTERSTOCK.COM (ALL PHOTOS) The Rescue Nica and Blue Fields made it through the first boat ride and the helicopter trip. Now they were on a second boat. It stopped near the place where the dolphins had been caught. It was time for them to go. As soon as Nica hit the water, she took off. But Blue Fields seemed confused. He acted like he had just woken up from a bad dream. At last, he swam away. Hopefully, they would find their family. But would they ever forget all of their troubles? Thanks to Jones, the world will not forget Nica and Blue Fields. His film of their ordeal has been seen by millions. It shows how humans can hurt these amazing animals. And it proves that we can help them too. PAUSE AND THINK: What happened when the dolphins returned to the sea? ordeal: hard experience THINK AND WRITE Imagine you saw Jones s film about the dolphins being rescued on YouTube. Write a paragraph in the comments about how his work has helped dolphins. Send it to Dolphin Contest by December 15, Five winners will each receive Everything Dolphins by Elizabeth Carney. See page 2 for details. FIND ACTIVITY SHEETS ONLINE! OCTOBER/NOVEMBER