The Trident Submarine Base in Bangor, WA will soon initiate a program to use both dolphins and sea lions in an effort to heighten security. An announcement by the Navy acknowledges that the animals will be used to stop divers and swimmers from breaching the surrounding waters. Bottlenose dolphins are more than capable of locating such intruders, and they are considered to be an effective means of security. The Navy feels that the dolphin’s distinct metabolism will allow it to operate efficiently in the cold environment. It has been claimed that these dolphins will not be captured from the wild, but will be chosen among those trained at the Navy’s Marine Mammal Program. Although there has been some media attention regarding the use of military dolphins in the past, it has been severely understated, and appears to be a topic about which the average American is uninformed.
Sources: “Dolphins, Sea Lions to Defend Navy Base” – Military.com.
Wed. 20 Nov 2009 http://www.military.com/news/article/dolphins-sea-lions-to-defend-navy-base.html?col=1186032310810
“U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 20 Nov. 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Navy_Marine_Mammal_Program
White, Thomas I. In Defense of Dolphins. 10 Mar 2008. Web 20 Nov 2009. http://books.google.com/books?id=3gOsAIWK0CAC&pg=PT197&lpg=PT197&dq=dolphin+human+contact+ethics&source=bl&ots=UMAhmJzqcr&sig=89-H3Qv9S7h0s2C-BuqXSGwkJtw&hl=en&ei=EkEHS5roA4Gvtge7_-W8Cg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CAoQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=dolphin%20human%20contact%20ethics&f=false
Student Researcher: Christopher Lue
Faculty Instructor: Dr. Elliot D. Cohen
Evaluator: Dr. Thomas I. White
Indian River State College