Pickrell, John. “Dolphins Deployed as Undersea Agents in Iraq.” National Geographic News, March 28 (2003). Web. 14 Oct. 2011. <http:// news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/03/0328_030328_wardolphins.html>.
Summary:
In the article “Dolphins Deployed as Undersea Agents in Iraq” by John Pickrell, the author describes how the United States Navy is using intensively trained bottlenose dolphins to locate potentially lethal and obstructive anti-ship mines which are cluttered amongst the seafloor close to the port of Umm Qasr in Iraq. Whitlow Au, who works with Hawaii’s Marine Mammal Research Program in Kailua claims that, “dolphins have the best sonar on the planet… the Navy does not have any technological sonar that can find buried mines except for their dolphin system.” The dolphins’ incomparable sonar capabilities and excellent intelligence make them perfect for detecting mines underwater where military equipment is practically ineffective. The article also describes how dolphins use vocalizations as a “kind of biological radar to scope out the surroundings.” This interesting technique allows the mammals to identify objects that would normally be hidden from sight. The high or low frequency received by the dolphin’s clicking sounds direct them in the route to enemy mines, bombs, or any other dangerous submerged object. Enemy swimmers, divers, and other terrorist related items, have also been spotted by dolphins and properly dealt with. Using dolphins for mine detection missions might seem risky, but the Navy strongly argues that the intelligent mammals are not at risk of being hurt, injured, or even killed. According to Tom Lapuzza, the dolphins are so well trained, that their chances of getting harmed completing a mission are little to none.
Response:
After reading this article, I was informed of some of the first types of missions that dolphins performed in for the U.S. military. “Blue Game” was the first time that the mammals had been organized in a true combative situation to clear training mines off the coast of Norway in 2001. I learned that before this time, the Navy started training marine mammals for a variety of operations since the early 1960’s. Beluga, pilot, and killer whales were also included in the training alongside of the dolphins. Critics of the Navy’s methods to use mammals in the military say that they are being put in harms way when they have no say in the situation. Stephanie Boyles, a Wildlife Biologist at the People For Ethical Treatment of Animals in Norfolk, Virginia, claims that even “though the dolphins are perfectly capable of performing the tasks, they are so intelligent and free-willed that they sometimes choose not to.” She also believes that if the mammals choose to not complete a mission, they could easily harm themselves and human lives.
Next Steps:
As I searched for information about the military use of dolphins, I chose to use this source because it provided a strong argument for why using mammals in the military is useful and why it is cruel and dangerous. The Navy believes that dolphins carry out important and successful missions all the time that humans simply cannot. They assert that the dolphins’ exceptional sonar ability allow them to detect important enemy threats that ordinary humans and modern technology simply can’t identify. The United States Navy has trained dolphins for combative purposes since the 1960’s, so why stop now? However, those who strongly believe that the use of these mammals is cruel, unethical, and dangerous want it to stop immediately. Most of them believe that our troops deserve a strong defense, but that this is not the correct method. They argue that dolphins put not only their lives at risk, but the troops lives at risk as well. Critics declare that even the smartest of the dolphins can make mistakes, and that these mistakes can easily be life threatening.
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