Capture a terrorist, eat a fish: it’s all in a day’s work for the US navy’s latest terror-fighting weapon.
Specially trained marine mammals were the star attraction in a Governor Schwarzenegger-initiated anti-terrorist training session held at ports throughout California this week. One demonstration saw a sea lion reveal a fake mine in San Francisco in less than a minute, while in a separate demonstration, a dolphin located a fake terrorist lurking offshore. Another sea lion came to the dolphin’s assistance, cuffing the dummy offender with a device it carried in its mouth.
The unit of Navy Marine Mammals is based in San Diego, where wild sea lions litter the wharves of the city’s working military harbour and stretch out on barges for their daily siesta. Tom LaPuzza, a spokesman for the Navy Marine Mammals program, told AP that marine mammals are far superior to humans in the water.
“Security is of vital importance,” he said. “And humans are very slow in the water. Sea lions can see five times as well. And dolphins can use their sonar to spot items that would take humans days or weeks to find.”
Marine mammals have been assisting US military units since the Vietnam War. None of the animals have ever been harmed in the course of their work.
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