Dolphin Falls Deeply in Love with Woman, Commits Suicide When Separated from “Lover”

In an unexpected turn of events, a dolphin named Peter developed a deep affection for a woman after spending a significant amount of time together. When he was separated from his human companion, the dolphin took his own life in a manner unique to his species.

According to The Sun, the 6-year-old dolphin named Peter formed a special bond with Margaret Howe, a 23-year-old research assistant, during their 10 weeks of living together in the 1960s. They first met in a peculiar experiment funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The experiment involved teaching dolphins to understand and even mimic human speech.

The long-term objective of this experiment was to use the dolphins’ learning mechanisms to find a way for humans to communicate with “extraterrestrial beings” if they truly exist. To facilitate the experiment, a large, water-filled complex called the “dolphin house” was created. Margaret and Peter would live together in this facility for 10 weeks.

Margaret would spend nearly all her time underwater with Peter, except for brief breaks on a bed or sitting at a desk hidden behind a bathroom curtain. The human-dolphin pair lived, ate, slept, and played together as Margaret attempted to teach Peter how to imitate human sounds.

Dr. John C. Lilly, from the Dolphin Point Laboratory on St. Thomas Island in the Caribbean, supervised the experiment. He predicted that dolphins could mimic human speech within “one or two decades” from the time of the experiment.

However, an unexpected and remarkable development occurred between Peter and Margaret. Peter became “deeply in love” with Margaret. Although the experiment failed to teach the dolphin to speak English, it provided researchers with profound insights into the intense emotions of animals.

After four weeks of the experiment, Margaret noticed that Peter had started showing a keen interest in being close to her, displaying courtship behaviors typically observed in male dolphins towards females.

As Peter’s behavior became more apparent, Margaret had to respond in ways that would keep the dolphin focused on successfully completing the experiment. While acknowledging her affection for Peter, the research assistant denied any actions intended to satisfy her own desires, emphasizing that her intentions were to ensure the dolphin’s comfort.

“The relationship changed from being something that was forced to something that was more of a shared thing and something that we both wanted. I missed Peter when I wasn’t with him,” Margaret shared in a BBC documentary in 2014.

Peter even showed signs of jealousy when Margaret interacted with others, and he did not develop relationships with the two female dolphins he was housed with.

However, as Peter and Margaret’s bond grew stronger, the funding for the experiment dried up, and the “dolphin house” had to be closed. Peter was transferred to a smaller laboratory in Florida, thousands of kilometers away from his “lover.”

Over the course of several weeks, the dolphin appeared to experience distress and ultimately died through an action experts referred to as “suicide” among dolphins.

“I got a phone call from Dr. John. He said Peter had committed suicide,” Margaret shared with The Guardian.

Dr. Andy Williamson, a veterinarian at the Florida laboratory, believed that Peter died because he couldn’t be with his “lover.”

“Margaret could get over it, but Peter couldn’t,” Williamson stated.

Ric O’Barry, a researcher from The Dolphin Project, an animal rights organization, also viewed Peter’s death as an act of “suicide” among dolphins.

“Dolphins are not voluntary breathers like humans. Each breath they take is a conscious effort. When faced with significant changes, dolphins can simply take a breath and sink to the bottom of the tank. They won’t resurface for another breath,” O’Barry explained.

The tragic story of Peter and Margaret highlights the complex emotional lives of dolphins and serves as a reminder of the profound impact captivity and separation can have on these intelligent and sensitive creatures.

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