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Armed Dolphins Released Into Gulf of Mexico
An anonymous reader writes "The Guardian is reporting on what may be the weirdest Hurricane Katrina story yet. Military trained dolphins may have been released into the wild by the Hurricane's devastation." From the article: "Experts who have studied the U.S. navy's cetacean training exercises claim the 36 mammals could be carrying 'toxic dart' guns. Divers and surfers risk attack, they claim, from a species considered to be among the planet's smartest. The U.S. navy admits it has been training dolphins for military purposes, but has refused to confirm that any are missing. Dolphins have been trained in attack-and-kill missions since the Cold War. The U.S. Atlantic bottlenose dolphins have apparently been taught to shoot terrorists attacking military vessels. Their coastal compound was breached during the storm, sweeping them out to sea. But those who have studied the controversial use of dolphins in the U.S. defence programme claim it is vital they are caught quickly."
from the article:
"Usually dolphins were controlled via signals transmitted through a neck harness. 'The question is, were these dolphins made secure before Katrina struck?' said Sheridan."
Is this to imply that these dolphins aren't relying on their friendly master's familiar scent or unique vocal pattern?? Their friendly master might not be friendly at all, and just a computer operated by a human, and any human at that!
I must find these dolphins.
First the plauge carrying mice disappear, and now dolphins with dart guns might have gotten loose. Maybe we are the third smartest species and they're just building up their arsenal....
What does this button do...
In February 1998, dozens of dead dolphins began washing ashore along the French Mediterranean. According to Jon Henley, a reporter for The Observer, "Most bore an identical, and mysterious wound - a neat, fist-sized hole - on the underside of their necks."
Marine biologists were baffled but Leo Sheridan proposed the only explanation that has not yet been dismissed. "I am convinced that these were dolphins trained by the US Navy and that something went badly wrong," Sheridan told The Observer.
Sheridan believes "they were disposed of to conceal the existence of the Americans' military dolphin program." In fact it was 1989 when the U.S. Navy began its classified Cetacean Intelligence Mission. The San Diego-based operation involved fitting dolphins with neck harnesses that pressed small electrodes into their skin.
The animals were taught to recognize and drown enemy divers. The dolphins could be remotely monitored and controlled via electric signals transmitted through the neck harness. In order to prevent the dolphins and the Navy's technology from falling into the wrong hands, a small explosive charge was planted in the harness on the underside of the animal's neck.
Sheridan noted that 16 of the dead dolphins displayed the same kind of round puncture wound that is "consistent with a small detonation. "It seems to me no accident that these dolphins first began washing up in the middle of a military crisis when American warships and submarines were en route to the [Persian] Gulf."
I'd also not kill each with the same mechanism. Some could enjoy the release of a toxin they might have naturally eaten too much of, others an electric shock they might naturally have happened upon. In any event I'd be more inventive than blasting equivalent holes in 16 necks, then tossing on a few dozen other dolphins to cover the ass of a classified program.
BG
Those were domesticated dolphins for the local aquarium (Marine Life), and thus were quite likely to stay close to the area, since that's where they get all their food. And actually, I heard that only three of them were in the immediate area following the storm - the other three had to be located and I believe they were still in the Mississippi Sound. In the event of an impending tropical system, they typically move these dolphins to a swimming pool at a Best Western hotel that was located just north of US 90 in Gulfport.
That hotel is completely gone now, of course.
Not that I actually believe much of this fish tale, but I would think that if these dolphins were being used for such a purpose, they would be tagged with radio transponders so that just such a situation like this one could be handled. The transponders could always be removed if the "soldiers" were to actually be deployed.
"Mod, mod, mod...and another troll bites the dust."
If you want a real account of military-trained animals getting out and causing havoc, check this out. One of my old biology profs knew a guy who worked on this.
Mathematics is made of 50 percent formulas, 50 percent proofs, and 50 percent imagination.
There have been stories about the marine mammal program before, and regular fights with animal rights groups. It is no longer classified though, so anyone can go find out plenty of information at the project's official website. You can also check out their FAQ. It pretty clearly states that dolphins and sea lions are only used for marking and tagging, and that they are not used offensively since they can't really distinguish friendly forces and foes. It seems some people still refuse to give up on speculation however.
Anyway, I seriously doubt that dolphins are being used with poison darts, since the Navy seems to prefer using sea lions now (They don't need storage pools, work better in tight areas like harbors and piers, and tolerate more varying temperatures). And even if there *were* poison dart weilding dolphins, why on earth would they be left armed while at a training facility during a storm?
actually, 6 years a shark scenario of this stuff came out already from hollywood
... cause the latter is quite intelligent ...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0149261/
and i'm not really sure if sharks are more dangerous than dolphins that are powered with poison darts
I'd tell you the chances of this story being a dupe, but you wouldn't like it.
...is whether the Navy fed them or let them hunt for food. If they fed them every day, their likelihood of surviving in the Gulf diminishes rapidly. If, on the other hand, they were taught to hunt for food, they could potentially pose a hazard. We don't have to worry too much about fishermen getting poked, as all of the water around there is now contaminated and shouldn't be used for fishing anyway.
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The Guardian story is full of unnamed third party references. "received intelligence from sources close to the US government's marine fisheries service."
Leo Sheridan did not even say where the dolphins were trained.
The only thing new in this world is the history that you don't know.[Harry Truman]
Bah! Every Car Wars fan knows that you can buy the 'blue-green wavelength' as an option to any laser for underwater use.. Hmm - wasn't that 25% of the original cost?
Underwater lasers work just fine - just remember to water-proof any underwater weapons!
Hmm - but can one make laser-guided torpedoes with a blue-green laser? That's what I want to know!
File not found. Fake it(Y/N)? _
You mean the same brilliant government that wasted millions of dollars using "psychics" for its intelligence operations?
-Eric
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
How exactly are the darts fired? Do the dolphins pull the trigger with their fins?
and i gotta say it: where are the sharks with laser beams attached to their heads?