Animal lovers up in arms over US use of dolphin deminers in Iraq

Agence France-Presse | March 26, 2003

[HAL9000]

PARIS (AFP) - The US military's use of trained dolphins to help demine southern Iraqi waters ran into crossfire on Tuesday from animal-rights groups and biologists, who branded the scheme both unethical and unreliable.

"We are strongly opposed to keeping these mammals in captivity, and we're not happy with this exploitation," Cathy Williamson of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, a British-based agency, told AFP.

"The animals could get hurt, and that's not justified," Williamson said.

Stephanie Boyles, a wildlife biologist at the US campaign group PETA (People for the Ethical Treaty of Animals), slammed the US military for "absolutely" exploiting animals.

"It is very cruel to put an animal in harm's way," she told AFP. "But our concern isn't just for the animals, it's also for the troops."

"These animals are being taught basically to do tricks and animals, especially animals as intelligent as sealions and dolphins, have minds of their own, and the chance of their failing to fulfill a mission when life and death are at stake is quite possible," Boyles said.

Similar doubts were expressed by a French expert, Olivier van Canneyt, an expert on marine mammals at the Sea and Coastline Institute in La Rochelle, western France.

Dolphins are quite hardy animals and could probably survive the long transport and change of sea temperature quite well, he said.

"However, I have to say I am very skeptical as to whether they will be effective," he said.

Van Canneyt said that a rival dolphin-training programme by the Soviet Union, and then Russia, had been abandoned several years ago because of disappointing results.

"It has to be said that the reliability is low, and even if dolphins are trained for years they may not do what you want them to do," Van Canneyt said.

Even though these animals had known no other life other than captivity, "it is quite a pity that they are being used as objects and for military use," he said.

In Qatar on Tuesday, US General Victor Renuart said that dolphins were being used to help demine the Khawr Abdullah waterway linking the southern Iraqi port of Umm Qasr to the Gulf to help bring in shiploads of relief supplies.

The aid should start to arrive in Iraq on Wednesday, officers said in Umm Qasr.

The dolphins are among a unit of 70 dolphins and 20 sealions that have been trained by the US Navy's Marine Mammal Program to spot underwater mines and enemy scuba divers who may be trying to plant explosives in deep waters.

The programme was launched in 1960 when US researchers began studying dolphins to get clues as to how to design new streamline torpedoes to strike Soviet submarines at the height of the Cold War.

The dolphins first went into action during the Vietnam War and again in the 1990-1991 Gulf War.

The animals are acquired from sea parks and are born in captivity, their trainers told AFP earlier this month. The programme has funding of between 10 and 20 million dollars a year (9.39-18.78 million euros).

The Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), said it could not comment on the use of dolphins in demining.

"We work on conservation issues. These are dolphins that have been bred in captivity, so it does not come within our remit," a spokesman said at the agency's headquarters in Britain said.

[HAL9000]

In a response, Pvt. Flipper said "PETA can kiss my tail fin".

[geege]

I'm an animal lover and I think it's a great idea!!!! They're brilliant animals...they're not suffering....and I'm sure they're enjoying nice Emeril meals:0)

[American in Israel]

Please PETA by all means come out to IRAQ and don some swimming trunks. Show us how you are more intelegent and reliable than a dolphin and can out swim them in a minefield.

Put your arse where your mouth is, or is that already a forgone conclusion?

[AnimalLover]

PETA IS USING MY NAME IN VAIN! Maybe I should sue!
Seriously, if the Dolphins don't mind why should PETA?
After all, they are swimming free and besides, if I
am ready to enlist to help my Country, perhaps all the
animals would too!

[Fresh Wind]

animals as intelligent as sealions and dolphins, have minds of their own

Well, if so, why don't they just go AWOL and get away from their evil human captors?

[Pistacio]

I knew this had to be here as soon as I heard about the dolphins. I have to say it, I am totally mystified how there could be so many ignorant people in this world. Peta, Hollywood, etc.

For the life of me I cannot understand why they can't tell the difference between killing elephants for their Ivory tusks alone, and saving the lives of Humans by the use of dolphins. I Guess, they all have a low I.Q., No common sense, closed minded to educating theirselves on the subject before they speak out,,,,,and did way too many drugs in the 60's.

I see why they have to have scripts, they cannot think or speak without them.

[gridlock]

Why does every wildlife biologist, animal rights activist, and generalized radical in the world get to pretend that they have a clue about what it takes to clear a minefield?

OK, if one admits that dolfins are only 50% reliable in the detection of mines, is not the detection of 50% of the mines a useful thing?

[looney tune]

It's appropriate that this article originated in FRANCE!!

[Keith in Iowa]

In honor of PETA's outrage, I'm having steak for supper...

[Unknown Freeper]

And exactly how much outrage have these people expressed over the treatment our POWs have received? These fools need to sit down and stfu.

[ikka]

I would gladly trade the lives of 100 or 1000 or 10,000 dolphins for one human life. Don't these people get it?

[TomB]

I would gladly trade the lives of 100 or 1000 or 10,000 dolphins for one human life. Don't these people get it?

No they don't.

This kind of twaddle is fine in peacetime, it isn't hard to get people thinking about "animal welfare" when there's no danger out there. But with the country so overwhelmed by even one combat death, the safety of a dolphin is way down on the list of priorities.

[blastdad51]

The title of this should be " Animal worshipers up in arms over US abuseing thier beloved gods"

[Snowy]

These people simply don't get it. Do they object to bomb dogs too? Dolphins are smart. You get very poor results from smart animals if they don't enjoy what they are doing. It's possible that these 'captive' dolphins are safer doing this than they are out in the wild.

[BlueLancer]

Sorry, Charlie ...

[FreedomPoster]

When I first saw the recent news story on the dolphins, my immediate reaction was "cool!", even though I'd generally known about the military use of cetacians for some time.

When I thought about it further, my follow on reaction was "cool!" again, because I knew the PETA pukes would get their panties in a wad.

[nowings]

Maybe they can come up with a way to find the mines with a nice spinich salad.

[Teacher317]

"It is very cruel to put an animal in harm's way," she told AFP

Is it even possible for a dolphin to detonate an anti-ship mine? Don't they need a very heavy impact against a metal target to trigger the explosion? If not, then wouldn't they explode when dropped into the sea?

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

As soon as I saw the photo here on FR in a "CAPTION THIS" thread, I knew that the PETA crowd was going to start p!$$in' and moanin' about poor ol' Flipper getting hurt. Sheesh. Can somebody change that record already?

[Teacher317]

Quick internet search: apparently there are 4 types of mines: impact mines that can be set to explode on heavy impact with the hull of a ship, pressure mines that can be set to explode when a ship of a certain size passes overhead, an acoustic mine that can be set to explode at certain ship-made sounds, and a magnetic mine that explodes when the magnetic field that a ship generates passes close by.

I don't think flipper is in any danger at all. Typical lying, uninformed PeTA freaks.