Thursday, May 10, 2012

US Navy and Dolphins

From Homeland Security NewsWire:

Maritime security

U.S. Navy’s animal warriors enjoy the best of health care


10 May 2012

The U.S. Navy is expanding the use of bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions to protect harbors from enemy swimmers, detect explosives on the seafloor, and perform other tasks such as guiding sailors through mine-laden waters or attaching recovery lines to lost equipment on the seafloor; the growing reliance on these mammals means that the Navy is also keeping a closer eye on their health

A trained Navy dolphin getting his teeth brushed // Source: navy.mil


Military patrol dogs with their keen sense of smell may be asked to step aside. The U.S. Navy has enlisted the biological sonar and other abilities of bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions to protect harbors from enemy swimmers, detect explosives on the seafloor, and perform other tasks. An article in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN) focuses on the Navy’s health program for marine mammals and how it may also help keep people healthy.

C&EN associate editor Lauren Wolf explains that the Navy invests a lot of time and money in training these animals and, naturally, wants to keep them in tip-top shape when they deploy to places like Iraq or Korea. Their missions can involve guiding sailors through mine-laden waters or attaching recovery lines to lost equipment on the seafloor...




Interesting stuff here.

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