22 May,2020 10:53 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Picture/ Barnacles Cafe and Feeding Centre-Facebook
After a feeding centre in Australia was shut due to the lockdown imposed in view of the Coronavirus Outbreak, a pod of dolphins have been bringing gifts for human being as they missed interacting with them. The humpback dolphins of Barnacles Café and Feeding Centre at Tin Can Bay in Queensland are used to interacting with humans. With the pandemic causing the feeding centre to close its doors, the pod of dolphins has been bringing souvenirs such as shells and corals for the volunteers.
"The pod has been bringing us regular gifts, showing us how much they're missing the public interaction and attention," the feeding centre shared on their Facebook page with the pictures of the dolphins and the gifts they brought for the volunteers. The gifts include coral, sea shells, pieces of timber, wood and bottles.
Lynn McPherson, a volunteer at the feeding centre was quoted as saying by ABC News that a 29-year-old male dolphin named Mystique has been bringing corals and shells on his rostrum or beak and âcarefully' presents it to them. "What we have to do is give him a fish in return," Mc Pherson said, adding that the dolphin was not trained to do so. "We haven't trained him, but he has trained us to do this." The volunteer also said that Mystique brings upto 10 items to the shore every day, that convinced volunteers that he has a stash of gifts that is hidden somewhere at the shore.
The pictures shared by the feeding centre on social media received lots of love from netizens. The Facebook post garnered more than 1,600 likes and was shared 692 times. Users commenting on the post say that the pictures melted their hearts.
A user who mother is a dolphin feeder told her about she would feel happy when dolphins would bring her gifts. A second user said, "dolphins are just amazing animals just love them (sic). A third user said, "They look amazing & not underfed so it must simply be that they miss man's touch. Gorgeous."
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