U.S. enlists dolphins to aid Iraq war effort
 

UMM QASR, Iraq, March 25 — Forget precision bombs, unmanned spy-planes and high-tech weaponry, the U.S. army is about to unveil its most unlikely mine detector — all the way from Florida, the Atlantic Bottle-Nosed Dolphin.

AT THE SOUTHERN Iraqi port of Umm Qasr, secured by U.S and British forces after days of fighting, soldiers made last-minute preparations on Tuesday for the imminent arrival of a team of specially trained dolphins to help divers ensure the coastline is free of danger before humanitarian aid shipments can dock.
U.S. Navy Captain Mike Tillotson told reporters that three or four dolphins would work from Umm Qasr, using their natural sonar abilities to seek out mines or other explosive devices which Iraqi forces may have planted on the seabed.
“They were flown over on a military animal transporter in fleece-lined slings,” Tillotson said. “We keep them in a certain amount of water. They travel very well.”
Staff Sergeant Justin Roberts escorts K-Dog back to the well deck and holding areas aboard the USS Gunston Hall March 18.
“They will be given restaurant quality food and vitamins, and they will work out of wells which we’ve set up here.”
Tillotson said the dolphins were trained not to swim up to mines, but to place a marker a small distance away, minimizing any danger to themselves.
Several mines were discovered last week on the back of ships along the Faw peninsula, but teams of divers searching around Umm Qasr port since Monday have not found any embedded mines.

This reminds me of Command and Conquer : Red Alert 2.

As long as they're taken care of and don't get hurt I think it's cool.

ooh... I thought it was just a joke.

If sacrificing 1,000 dolphns clears the way for shipments of food and medicine to those that need it in Iraq, I say sacrifice the damn dolphins.

I'd say we've infested enough of this planet. Then I'd leave the people in Iraq to fend for themselves and I'd spend the rest of my life tending to animals worldwide who are oppressed by humans.

What's another human? Not much.

What's another dodo bird? I'll never get to know.

Just a few words of wisdom.

the Moroccan government also offered 2000 monkeys to detonate land mines for the U.S's cause...I'm not sure if we accepted. PETA might be upset.

How were the monkeys going to detonate the land mines? If it's what I'm thinking, that's cruel and sick.

Man, you have some screwed up priorities. Lets see what you think once you have a kid and they're in te military.
Maybe you'll have a different view of Dodo Birds then. Also, last time I checked Dolphins weren't an endangered species.

"Whats another human? Not much."????? Then why don't you go sacrifice yourself to detonate those mines if you have such a low value of human life? I'll never understand people who put animals before humans.

I thought dolphins were? :confused:


We are mammals, hence were are animals :D. I guess both of you have valid points though. After all, if some species was more dominant than us humans, we wouldn't be at the top of the food chain. If we have the ability to stay alive, we should do so with any means possible (just like other animals that are at the top of their food chains). But, dolphins don't pose a threat to the humans, and we aren't killing them.

I doubt this would decimate the dolphin population. But I'd just like to add it would be a shame to see another species become extinct because of human activities. The Dodo and Tazmanian Tiger come to mind. :(

Who cares if the dolphins die. If they do, the generals can have some nice dolphin steak for supper.

Am i the only one doubting the reality of this thing?

This is very real.

Well reports are that the mines have been cleared, so it a moot point right now. As for dolphins, I know that there was a big stink over them being killed by Tuna boats, but I thought that was more of a moral initiative than an endangered species initiative. You might be thinking of whales, but I could be wrong. In any case, I haven't heard of them being endangered, but that doesn't make it so.

Yes, Dolphins, one of the worlds smartest animals, and monkeys, the Worlds smartest Anmial. And leading this charge.... Bush, Americas Dumbest president :) ( IQ Wise anyways, apparently his IQ is a 91 or so) :D

Well, the mines are cleared, it seems as though this method worked. Were there any setbacks?

I think it's cute :)

Actually, and this isn't a joke, I heard that one of the dolphins went AWOL for 48 hours. We had no idea where it was. We flew another dolphin in to replace it, but then the AWOL dolphin came back. I thought taht was kinda funny.