Townsend, Mark. “Armed and Dangerous - Flipper the Firing Dolphin Let Loose by Katrina.” The Observer, September 24 (2005). Web. 12 Oct. 2011. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/sep/25/usa.theobserver>.
Summary:
In the article “Armed and Dangerous - Flipper the Firing Dolphin Let Loose by Katrina” by Mark Townsend, the author describes how 36 of the U.S. Navy’s trained dolphins were accidently released by the result of Hurricane Katrina. These dolphins, armed with ‘toxic dart’ guns, were specifically trained by the military to shoot terrorists and identify spies or terrorists underwater. The fear now is that these dangerously equipped mammals will mistake a harmless diver, swimmer, or surfer for an enemy terrorist. Leo Sheridan, an investigator working for the government, claims that these dolphins that escaped must be caught as soon as possible to avoid unwanted injury or even death. Sheridan believes that even though these dolphins are among the smartest and most intelligent animals on the planet, they can still inaccurately spot a diver or windsurfer for a spy or suicide bomber. In 1989, the navy began the classified Cetacean Intelligence Mission in San Diego, where the dolphins were trained to patrol, monitor, and protect Trident submarines in the harbor and with stationary warships at sea. These advanced mammals wore harnesses and had electrodes planted under their skin to allow for the better detection of underwater movements. The article also talks about how animal rights groups criticize that the use of dolphins in the military has become more secretive and carefully guarded by the U.S. Navy. However, this criticism was put aside as proof of successful missions arose after the Yemen terror attack on the USS Cole in 2000, and after mines near an Iraqi port were identified and destroyed.
Response:
After reading this article, I was curious as to how many military dolphins were really able to escape into the ocean after the devastating Hurricane Katrina. It was claimed that experts stated that there were about 36 of the mammals missing. After hearing that the dolphins had escaped, I thought that it was important that the U.S. Navy immediately caught them so that all the time and money spent training these mammals for military missions did not go to waste. Besides that, these dolphins were said to possible be armed with ‘toxic dart’ guns which could harm innocent civilians in the waters around beaches in the Gulf of Mexico. I believe that Leo Sheridan brought up a significant topic about human safety. He asserted that even though dolphins are extremely intelligent, they could still make the simple mistake of shooting an innocent swimmer who is wearing a wetsuit like the ones the dolphins train with. The article said that the mystery of the escaped dolphins arose when a group of eight were spotted with the help of the Navy. I was happy to hear that the Navy scientists who examined the mammals did not release them back into the ocean until they made sure they were healthy and not dangerous.
Next Steps:
As I searched for information about the military use of dolphins, I decided to use this source because it shows a rare case in which the training of military dolphins caused a threat to innocent American lives. These mammals were professionally trained to complete underwater combative missions, and I believe the Navy should devise a plan of exactly how to catch them if another situation like such ever arose again. Maybe a harmless GPS tracking device could be planted into their skin to that the dolphins could easily be spotted, identified, and captured. The U.S. Navy should train the dolphins to stay close to the ships and not roam the oceans freely just because they were released from captivity. The use of dolphins and other mammals in the military is, in my opinion, a very useful and valuable asset to the U.S. Navy. However, if they start escaping and become dangerous to the public, it could become a problem.
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