Dolphins 'carried body of drowned victim to shore' in July Fourth tragedy

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 10:02 AM on 6th July 2011

July Fourth weekend ended in tragedy for one family when a man drowned after being caught in an undertow.

The body of 47-year-old Luis Arturo Polanco Morales, of Denham Springs, was found by authorities about ten to 15 feet from the shore line.

At first they believed the tide had washed Mr Morales up but witnesses to the sad event at Grand Isle, Louisiana, reported the body had been carried to shore by dolphins.

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Did they help? Witnesses at Grand Isle, Louisiana, reported the drowned body of Luis Arturo Polanco Morales had been carried to shore by dolphins

Tragic: Mr Morales, a young girl and another man had been fishing on rocks in Grand Isle when the girl fell in, left, while right, dolphins are often spotted off the shoreline at the beach

Washed up: Grand Isle Fire Chief, Aubrey Chaisson, gestures to where Mr Morales' body was found drifting about ten to 15 feet out to sea

Could be: For Cesar Zuniga, a holidaymaker from McAllen, Texas, reports of dolphins bringing the body to shore is credible. 'They're keeping an eye on us,' he said

'I guess it could be possible,' Cesar Zuniga a holidaymaker from McAllen, Texas, told ABC26 News.

'They're mammals. I think they're intelligent enough to do stuff like that.'

Mr Morales, a young girl and another man had been fishing on rocks when the girl fell in, witnesses told Coroner's investigator Tommy Evans.

Both men jumped in to rescue the girl.

The other man made it out with her, but Mr Morales was dragged off by the current.

After three hours authorities called off the search. 

'About an hour later, we got a phone call when the tide brought him in, and actually, he was 10-15 feet he had drifted in,'  Grand Isle Fire Chief, Aubrey Chaisson, said.

For Mr Zuniga the story about the dolphins is genuine.

'I guess I call it a miracle, right?' he said. 'I mean, I'm sorry somebody lost their life, but for them to do that to bring the body shore, they’re keeping an eye on us.

'They're keeping an eye on us.'

Chief Chaisson's advice for anyone stuck in an undertow is not to panic.

The water will take you a way out, but go with it and it will eventually release you.

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Olifant Tai, die naast Reese Witherspoon en Robert Pattinson in de nieuwe film Water for Elephants speelt, wordt geslagen en krijgt stroomstoten tijdens een training in voorbereiding op haar filmcarriere. Dat blijkt uit een recent gepubliceerde undercover video van Animal Defenders International.

Bekijk hier de video (let op: bevat schokkende beelden)

Olifanten die vandaag de dag nog meereizen met circussen hebben net als Tai een gedwongen, onnatuurlijk en beroofd leven. Ze lijden, net als Tai. Andere dieren in circussen, die hun tijd doorbrengen in kleine kooien en wreed geforceerd worden kunstjes te doen, hebben geen beter leven. Ze hebben uw hulp nodig.

Wat kunt u doen?

• Help ons de dieren helpen en word donateur
• Teken de petitie voor een verbod op olifantenhaken
• Teken de petitie voor een circus zónder wilde dieren
• Boycott de film en vraag jouw familie en vrienden een standpunt in te nemen tegen het supporten van dierenleed door geen films met wilde dieren te kijken
• Deel de video op jouw sociale pagina's, bijvoorbeeld op Twitter, Facebook en Hyves of stuur het door per e-mail

Olifanten in circussen worden met behulp van o.a. olifantenhaken gedomineerd. Deze stokken met een scherpe metalen punt en haak worden in de gevoelige huid van de olifant gezet om te 'duwen en trekken' en het dier het kunstje te laten doen. De universiteit van Wageningen concludeerde in 2009 dat olifanten onder dwang worden getraind en dat de olifantenhaak permanent gebruikt wordt door een dompteur. Deze training ondergaan de olifanten hun hele leven, al van kleins af aan. In Nederland is er geen wetgeving voor circusdieren.

Bijna alle olifanten in het circus zijn Aziatische olifanten. Op één na, zijn de dieren allemaal uit het wild gevangen. De training gebeurt meteen zodra de olifanten gevangen worden in Azië. De Forest Industry Organization of Thailand en de FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific publiceerden in 2005 een traingingsadvies aan de Aziatische mahouts (olifantentrainers). Hierin wordt het gebruik van olifantenhaken, kettingen, scherpe haken voor in het oor, speciale handboeien, een halsband met spijkers aan de binnenzijde en andere pijnlijke puntige voorwerpen nog steeds toegestaan. Wilde Dieren de Tent Uit wil een einde maken aan dierenleed in entertainment en strijdt al jaren voor een verbod op wilde dieren in circussen.

Note: The comment section in our blog is closed. The goal is to increase the number of posts shared on Facebook and Twitter. I would please request to share this posts in your profile and adding your own personal commentary in your wall.. I believe this will increase the spread of our appeals.

Update 28 April: The Code of Life

As I write this, it’s just 8 days since I had that conference call with Bulgaria when our team gave me the professional opinion of our vet: To put Michelle to sleep.
Chances were, she would never be able to stand again, even less walk. Also, even if there were any chances, the treatment would involved a number of operations, and it may prove too expensive.
I am extremely proud of our team in Bulgaria but there they were, face to face with a broken dog shaking in pain and one of the best doctors in the country was making a case for euthanasia.
The doctors were not alone in their opinion. Many people, having witnessed the brutality of the accident and the following rescue considered that enough was enough, the best option was a humane death.
A few years ago, when we started dealing with more and more complicate cases we became in need simple guide to revert to in those extreme cases when death was considered the most humane alternative. Something to hold on to when seemingly all hope was lost.
And so we created our Euthanasia Code:

1. Animal is in pain but has chance of recovery no matter how small: NO EUTHANASIA
2. Animal is not in pain and has no chance of recovery: NO EUTHANASIA
3. Animal is in pain and has NO chance of recovery, no matter how small: EUTHANASIA

No animal is ever euthanized because we don’t know what to do with him. It is our moral obligation to find solutions for our rescues.

Michelle was in A LOT of pain, but there was a very small chance of recovery…

And so this code save Michelle’s life…

As you can see in the pictures Michelle is doing great. Her multiple fractures have been fixed, and little by little she is recovering strength. Her muscle tone is excellent. She can stand up for as long as 15 minutes. The scars in her back are spectacular, but as soon as her hair grows back they’ll be nothing but a memory of the past. She is going to be wearing a catheter for a few more days but hopefully next week we’ll be able to take it out.

Alos, by the beginning of next week Michelle’s special bed will arrive from the UK, when it does she will be much more comfortable.

So… all is well… our baby is fighting, and she has thousands of people rooting for her.

I think we can confidently say that Michelle is completely out of the woods.

Michelle is alive not only because of our strict following of a decision code, but because tens of people from all over the world (to the last count, 63 of them), pulled their resources together and contributed to the Simba Fund. Each and everyone of those people, and everyone that shared this story on their Facebook profile has a small share on Michelle’s life.

So, Michelle is now, your dog.

Now, let’s find her a great home!

—–

Update: 22 April

Yesterday was a BIG day for Michelle…
Here are some Xrays showing the different fractures and how our doctors solved them.
1) Her front left leg is broken.
2)She has purulent endometritis as a result of the abortion.
3)Her sacrum was broken. The sacrum connects to the spine and that is how the nervs got inflamed. We fixed it.
4)The joint that connects the pelvis and the femur was broken. This is what you can see in the picture. The operation was very delicate but we fixed it.

We don’t know yet whether the nevers have been damaged irreversibly.

At this stage we are “cautiously optimistic” (or what is the same, we know she will overcome this but we are not 100% sure yet….

Now,  me tell you something I have learned through my years of rescue… animals are incredible fighters, they don’t give up, it’s us humans that are crying wimps and throw the towel at the slightest sign of discomfort or pain. Animals are the ultimate Zen Masters, if they had a motto it would be: Shit happens!. As long as they have a bit of strength in their bodies they just want to keep going, to get up on their feet and start running again, but to do that, they need our help, they need us not to give up on them and take the easy way out. We are committed to make sure Michelle runs again one day and that, through her example, many other animals get the second chance they so desperately need.

Please give Michelle a hand by contributing to the Simba Fund… the worst is not over yet.

—-

Update: 20 April

When Killing is not an option

Yesterday evening I received a desperate email from our team in Bulgaria. They were with Michelle at the clinic. They needed to talk to me urgently.
X-Rays had been made, Michelle’s legs are broken, there is also spinal fracture. 48 hours after the accident it doesn’t look good.
Our vet recommended putting Michelle to sleep but they needed to talk to me before taking a decision.
Whilst Mariya and Diana were talking me through Michelle’s many problems I was relieving similar conversations in the past. Dogs and cats that had been crashed by cars or abused by man, and whose conditions looked so serious that, at the time, it didn’t look like there was anything we could do for them.
Animals like Gulumser, Simba, Marlon, Baby the cat, Pufi, Sosis, Oscar, Jati and so many others that at the time of rescue were in such critical condition that many advised us to put the animals humanely to sleep. They are in pain, they are blind, paralyzed, they won’t be able to have full lives, they said…
In each and every case the animals proved them wrong. They wanted to live, they wanted to thrive, they wanted to deal with the cards life had served them.
And they dealt… and they lived…. and they thrived.
We have been told the treatment will be long and costly, but that’s ok. Whilst I understand that private individuals may, at times, face painful decisions purely based on financial considerations I’m one of those that feels that life is priceless, and because of that, cost must not be a part of  the equation. Let’s Adopt is a community of animal rescuers, tens of thousands of people scattered around the world united by a common bond. If a community of this size cannot raise the money needed to save a dog that has gone through so much then we may as well press the delete button, pack up and go home.

Michelle is doing fine, she is in great spirits. From today a kilo of the best available meat will be delivered to her at the clinic. She will be fed a raw diet. This will give a massive boost to her immune system and help her shattered bones and muscle recover.
Today we will also order a Kuranda bed, quite probably, the best beds in the world. This will make Michelle’s stay at the clinic much more comfortable. Who wants to lie in the floor after such an accident?  We will donate the bed to the clinic after Michelle is ready to go home.

So, Michelle’s journey to recovery and a new life has started. We will keep you posted as she progresses.

This is going to be a community effort, in that respect, Michelle’s recovery depends on all of us. Starbucks doesn’t need you to buy yet another Cafe Latte. Michelle, on the other hand could do with your help today.

Please help us cover Michelle’s medical and rehoming expenses, contribute by Chipin In to the Simba Fund. Alternatively you can use paypal directly, our account: thesimbafund@gmail.com

Note: The comment section in our blog is closed. The goal is to increase the number of posts shared on Facebook and Twitter. I would please request to share this posts in your profile and adding your own personal commentary in your wall.. I believe this will increase the spread of our appeals.

——-

Like most events of this kind it happened on Sunday.
Rally cars driving at incredible speed along narrow roads, hundreds of people on either side, enjoying the thundering noise.
Cheers, claps…
Then, the unexpected… Michelle, a beautiful German shepherd unexpectedly crosses the road. The impact is brutal, the car continues his course..
Cheers, claps…
Get rid of that thing on the road, some said…
She got what she deserved, someone screamed in the background.
A policeman appears, protects his delicate hand with a plastic bag and drags Michelle heavily pregnant body across the road and dumps the body behind a garbage container.
Cheers, claps…

Is this how the story ends? Not really… this is just the beginning…

On Monday morning, Diana Zhikova, director of Let’s Adopt Bulgaria watched the video on the internet and did what NOBODY did until then. She cared.

First she identified the precise location, then she went onto the list of Let’s Adopt! volunteers and made a few calls. A few hours later, one of our members drove to the location, about 150 kilometers away from Sofia, and found Michelle in the condition you can see here.

We don’t know if Michelle’s body was thrown from the top of the hill or if she  crawled down herself, but what we know is that she was in a critical condition, and that her unborn puppies were dead.

Michelle was rushed to a clinic in Blagoevgrad but the clinic didn’t have an X-ray… so, overnight, she was driven to our main clinic in Sofia, where she is receiving the best available treatment, and, why not say, she is been treated like a Queen.

Michelle has a double fracture of her hind legs and a broken pelvis…. she will require a number of procedures but we will do our best for her to walk and run again…

This is one of those stories that is screaming to get out to the world… it speaks of cruelty, of neglect, of lack of moral values, it also speaks of humanity and care, and how we must never turn our back away to an animal in need.

The Simba Fund will cover all of Michelle’s medical and rehoming expenses as it does with all of our rescues. Please help us cover Michelle’s medical and rehoming expenses, contribute by Chipin In on the Simba Fund. Alternatively you can use paypal directly, our account: thesimbafund@gmail.com

We will keep you updated on Michelle’s development. And of course, should anyone wish to adopt her please get in touch with me: viktor@myletsadopt.com

Note: The comment section in our blog is closed. The goal is to increase the number of posts shared on Facebook and Twitter. I would please request to share this posts in your profile and adding your own personal commentary in your wall.. I believe this will increase the spread of our appeals.