Dolphins Protect Chinese Boat from Pirates

Will fight pirates for fish. (David Sanger/Getty Images)

Thousands of dolphins apparently came to the aid of Chinese merchant ships in Arabian Sea this week, just as a suspected Somali pirate ship attempted to attack, according to a report by China Radio International.

Apparently just before the attack, "thousands of dolphins suddenly leaped out of the water between pirates and merchants," causing the pirates to turn away. Check out this picture of the 'dolphin fleet'.

The merchant ships were also being escorted by a Chinese fleet, following a UN call for countries to patrol the waters near Somalia after increased piracy reports. According to Xinhua News, the Chinese fleet has so far escorted 206 vessels, including 29 foreign ships, and rescued three foreign merchant ships from pirate attacks.

Before the fleet was deployed, seven Chinese ships and ships carrying Chinese crews were hijacked by Somali pirates last year, including the Tianyu No. 8 - a fishing vessel with 16 Chinese and eight foreign sailors which was captured in November 2008. The ship was only released in February.

Perhaps the most amusing part of the story is this passage in Xinhua's report on what happened after the dolphin intervention: "The suspected pirates ships stopped and then turned away. The pirates could only lament their littleness before the vast number of dolphins."