65-year-old biologist Nan Hauser has worked for years to save the whales. Recently, a humpback whale that was swimming off the coast of Rarotonga, in the Cook Islands, rescued her when a deadly 17-foot tiger shark that was approaching. Although Hauser was scared during the ordeal, she did manage to capture footage of the incident. Only later did she understand that the 25-ton whale was protecting her from a dangerous shark and a “potentially deadly” attack.
“I’ve spent the past 28 years protecting whales, and in the moment, I didn’t even realize that they were protecting me”, Hauser said.
According to The Independent, Hauser had been swimming close to the humpback whale when suddenly, the mammal tucked her under its pectoral fin and then pushed her forward using his head and mouth.
“I wasn’t sure what the whale was up to when he approached me, and it didn’t stop pushing me around for over 10 minutes. It seemed like hours. I was a bit bruised up,” Hauser said. “I’ve spent 28 years underwater with whales, and have never had a whale so tactile and so insistent on putting me on his head, or belly, or back, or, most of all, trying to tuck me under his huge pectoral fin.”
The biologist feared that if the whale hit her with his flippers or his tail, rammed her too hard, or held her underwater for too long, she would die. However, she knew she had to remain calm.
“I didn’t want to panic because I knew that he would pick up on my fear,” she explained. “I stayed calm to a point but was sure that it was most likely going to be a deadly encounter.”
Nan Hauser / Caters News Agency
While Hauser was in the water, she saw another whale fighting off something in the water. Only later did she realize that it was a predator — a 17-foot-long tiger shark.
“Other fishermen and divers have seen this same shark nearby the reef and say that it is as big as a pickup truck. Some say that it is 20 feet long,” Hauser claimed.
Thanks to the humpback whale and Hauser's diligent team, the woman escaped unscathed. In her thirty years of studying the mammals, Hauser had never witnessed such behavior. She thinks it might be proof that whales have a natural desire to protect other species, such as humans. These implications would be huge if it were true.
Nan Hauser / Caters News Agency
Because that's the first time a humpback whale has ever been documented rescuing a human from a shark, Hauser and her team are going to use the footage to expand research and awareness of such actions from whales.
As Hauser said: “There is a published scientific paper about humpbacks protecting other species of animals, by Robert Pitman. For instance, they hide seals under their pectoral fins to protect them from killer whales. They truly display altruism – sometimes at the risk of losing their own lives.”
Hauser added that it is essential not to touch whales. On the other hand, she didn't ignore the irony of the situation:
“I never touch the whales that I study unless they are sick or stranded on the beach. In my head, I was a bit amused since I write Rules and Regulations about whale harassment – and here I was being harassed by a whale.”
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