Moko (2006 – 7 July 2010) was a male

bottlenose dolphin Bottlenose dolphins are aquatic mammals in the genus ''Tursiops.'' They are common, cosmopolitan members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Molecular studies show the genus definitively contains two species: the common ...

who associated with humans on the east coast of the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

from 2007 to 2010. Moko, short for Mokotahi, a headland on Mahia Peninsula, was three-years-old as of July 2009. He resided at Mahia Beach for two and a half years from 2007 to September 2009, and became a major attraction there. He received worldwide fame when he rescued two

pygmy sperm whale The pygmy sperm whale (''Kogia breviceps'') is one of two extant species in the family Kogiidae in the sperm whale superfamily. They are not often sighted at sea, and most of what is known about them comes from the examination of stranded spec ...

s in March 2008. A year later, he trapped a woman out at sea. At the beginning of September 2009 Moko moved 80 km up the coast to Waikanae Beach, Gisborne, and in January 2010 he moved to

Whakatāne Whakatāne ( , ) is the seat of the Bay of Plenty region in the North Island of New Zealand, east of Tauranga and north-east of Rotorua, at the mouth of the Whakatāne River. Whakatāne District is the encompassing territorial authority, whi ...

in the

Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty ( mi, Te Moana-a-Toi) is a region of New Zealand, situated around a bight of the same name in the northern coast of the North Island. The bight stretches 260 km from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runawa ...

for five months before following a fishing boat to Tauranga on 3 June.

Scientist A scientist is a person who conducts Scientific method, scientific research to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, ...

s were worried about Moko's welfare after a study found he had been scarred by boats and a fish hook. He was found dead on a beach at

Matakana Island Matakana Island is located in the western Bay of Plenty in New Zealand's North Island. A long, flat barrier island, it is in length but rarely more than wide. The island has been continuously populated for centuries by Māori tribes that ar ...

near

Tauranga Tauranga () is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by ...

on 7 July 2010.

History

Rescue of pygmy sperm whales

In March 2008, Moko was seen helping two pygmy sperm whales that were trapped between a sandbar and Mahia beach. A local man who found the whales told his neighbour, Malcolm Smith, who was a

Department of Conservation An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment ...

worker. Smith and other rescuers tried for an hour and a half to re-float the whales, with no success. Smith was wondering if it would be better to kill the two whales when Moko appeared. Moko approached the pair of distressed whales and led them through a narrow channel to the safety of the sea.

Stranding of a swimmer

In summer many people swam with Moko at Mahia, but residents believed that during the winter, when there were fewer people, the dolphin got lonely and bored. During the winter (July) of 2009, a New Zealand

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

, who left late to go swimming at Mahia on her own, started to play with Moko. Difficulties arose when the woman became tired, and the dolphin, who was still playing, did not allow her to return to the shore. As a result of this, the woman began to panic. People back at shore heard the now exhausted woman screaming for help, and rowed out to rescue her. They found her wrapped around a buoy, and took her back to the shore. Later the woman said that going out on her own at that late time had probably been unwise and that Moko had meant no harm.

''Soul in the Sea'' (2013)

New Zealand filmmaker Amy Taylor directed and produced a documentary about Moko, titled ''Soul in the Sea'', which premiered at the 2013

New Zealand International Film Festival New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

. Filmed in the six months leading up to Moko's death, the film follows Moko's impact on the town of Whakatāne.

Welfare

Scientists became worried about Moko's safety after finding that he had been scarred by boats and had received a scar on his upper-right jaw from a fish hook. They noted that out of 30 "lone" dolphins that have been identified around the globe, 14 have been killed or injured as a result of their interactions with

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

s. A marine welfare organisation,

Project Jonah Project Jonah is an environmental organisation that was established in 1974 in New Zealand. It specialises in the protection and conservation of marine mammals (whales, dolphins and seals). The key areas in which they work is rescuing stranded ma ...

, said that people should give the dolphin his space. Moko was found dead a few months later.

References

External links

Moko the Dolphin on BlooSee
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moko (Dolphin) Individual dolphins History of the Hawke's Bay Region History of the Bay of Plenty Region 2006 animal births 2010 animal deaths Solitary dolphins Individual animals in New Zealand Individual wild animals Māhia Peninsula