Film: Wild Dolphins (The Bahamas)

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Transcript

SOUND UP
00:00:24: DENISE: You know, I think spending your life studying the natural world, takes a certain kind of person. I mean it’s really important that we continue that in the next generation. I think for someone to commit to the natural world and figure out how to balance their life, so they can study a species or an ecosystem, contribute to that process, and also retain a healthy personal life, is a challenge but it can be done. The benefits of doing the work is number one you’re contributing to the planet—you’re leaving something good behind and making a difference—and number two, you’re going to share that information, and hopefully it’ll help in the preservation, conservation, and awareness of our planet, which we desperately need to stay healthy.; [MUSIC PLAYS]
00:01:20: DENISE: People often ask me, is it worth impacting the animals being out here, obviously we potentially influence them by our presence in the water, trying to document their behavior and follow their lives. And in my early years , I was at a conference in San Francisco, at the California Academy of Sciences, where Jane Goodall was speaking. And I actually asked her a question from the audience, I asked her, “Given what you know now, after being out there,” –I guess it was 20 years at that point—“would you do it again? Was being present in their lives and influencing their lives in potentially positive and negative ways, was it worth it?” And she said, “Well, we need information about species out in the world, and somebody has to be doing it. So it’s important to have information and to tell their story so people can be made aware of what there is to say.”; [MUSIC PLAYS]
00:02:26: CHARLIE [NARRATING]: Dr. Denise Hurzing started the Wild Dolphin Project in 1985.; DENISE: When we get in the water to do our work, we typically have multiple tools. I usually have a video camera, which is a hydrophone. For sound and behavior collection. Sometimes that video camera is attached to a computer for high-frequency sound collection.
00:02:52: CHARLIE [NARRATING]: Much of her research is done in the Bahamas, because the shallow sand banks provide safety during the day for dolphins to rest and socialize. The white sandy bottoms also protect them from natural predators such as sharks because of the clear visibility.; [STORM SOUNDS]; CHARLIE [NARRATING]: The work of the researcher is much more difficult than it looks. Weather’s a key factor, and here in the Bahamas, it was no different. As the boat rolled and pitched, Denise remained calm and steadfast, deep in her research. [SOUND OF DOLPHINS SINGING] Denise monitors the dolphins’ speech patterns, which occurs through a series of whistles and clicks.; [DOLPHINS SINGING]; [MUSIC]
00:03:50: CHARLIE [NARRATING]: And as the sky gave way, to a brilliant blue day, I saw why she does what she does. She truly cares.; DENISE: This is a Trimie and Tyler. Mother and daughter, and Tyler’s a little unusual because she’s been with her mother for five or six years. Usually they leave when they’re about three, because the mother gets pregnant. But Trimie, the mother, has not got pregnant till this yea. So, she’s a little dependent on her mom, she should be hanging out with juveniles. But they’re, these are pretty friendly dolphins, they’re pretty regular. We’ve grown up with them, at least Tyler. And Trimie, her first offspring, she, apparently she did not know how to be a very good mother. Because her first baby she had, that we know of, it was wild. It was like, what I would call shark bait. It wouldn’t stay with Trimie, it was vocal all the time, and sure enough it disappeared. He would, this little guy Tango would show up without his mother. So that’s not a good thing if you’re a dolphin calf. So she’s apparently learned to be a pretty good mother, and she’s going to be a mother again, probably next summer, so, very excited.; CHARLIE [NARRATING]: I asked Denise, what can we learn from the dolphins? And she responded that by observing dolphins in their natural habitat, we can learn much about conflict and cooperation, respect and learning,, and civility towards each other. Values that are greatly needed in the world today.; [MUSIC PLAYS]
00:06:27: CHARLIE [NARRATING]: Denise is a true selfless hero, guardian of the sea, and Explore salutes you.; [MUSIC PLAYS]; END OF FILM; Credits

Wild Dolphins

Denise Herzing, the Jane Goodall of the sea, dedicates her life to researching wild spotted dolphins in the Bahamas. Go underwater and fall in love with these sacred creatures.