Bitten by a shark and about to die, a dolphin came and saved him

The seemingly fictional story was shared by Mr. Martin Richardson in the program "Saved from a Shark" of National Geographic channel, which has 50 million customers in Asia.

"I was swimming in the Red Sea in Egypt when I was attacked by a shark," Martin Richardson recounted the moment he almost died on July 1. "I was bitten by a shark five times and lost about 2.8 liters of blood. When I was waiting to die, a miracle happened."

The victim added that in a moment of despair, suddenly a school of dolphins appeared behind him and the sharks stopped attacking him.

"After that, I was put on a boat and taken to the emergency hospital. Here, the doctor gave me 300 stitches, the wounds were all caused by sharks" - victim Martin Richardson recounted in a shocked and determined voice - "I firmly believe that the dolphins saved my life".

Bị cá mập cắn sắp chết thì được cá heo tới cứu sống - Ảnh 1.

A great white shark was stalking a group of people off the coast of New Zealand when a pod of dolphins chased it away. Photo: Peter_Nile

The show also features four other victims, including marine biologists, who recount stories of being attacked by sharks but later saved by dolphins or whales.

So do dolphins or whales actually protect humans from shark attacks? The answer is still controversial.

"It is unlikely that the dolphins intended to save Martin Richardson's life," said Professor Mike Heithaus of the Department of Biological Sciences at Florida International University (USA). "It is possible that the dolphins saw the blood stains from the victim and knew there were sharks in the area. The dolphins' actions in chasing away the sharks were intended to protect their young."

Other experts participating in the program "Saved from a Shark" all share the same opinion with Professor Mike Heithaus, that whales or dolphins do not intend to save humans, but they are protecting their young, themselves and their fellow species from sharks.