Spring Break
Should dolphins be employed to help the military?
If Ecco the dolphin can do it, so can they
Zane Ecklund
Issue date: 4/6/07 Section: Opinion
The use of dolphins has been documented in "A Brief History of the Navy's Marine Mammal Program," a publication released by the Navy Marine Mammal Program. Dolphins were first used in 1960, when Pacific white-sided dolphins' aerodynamics were studied in an effort to improve torpedo performance.
A 2003 article from NationalGeographic.com provides overwhelming evidence of a dolphin's tactical practicality. The article covers Navy-trained dolphins, which locate anti-ship mines in the Persian Gulf.
The reason dolphins are so effective at this is that their sonar abilities and incredible intelligence make them talented at finding objects underwater. The natural abilities surpass those of military equipment.
In the article, Whitlow Au, researcher of bioacoustics at University of Hawaii's Marine Mammal research Program, explained why dolphins are so effective at this particular task. "Dolphins have the best sonar on this planet…the Navy does not have any technological sonar that can find buried mines except for its dolphin system. They (dolphins) can not only find objects like mines that may or may not be buried into the seabed, but they can distinguish them from clutter such as coral rock and man-made debris."
Smithsonian Magazine, in September 2003, ran the article "Uncle Sam's Dolphins." The article contained a statement that the Navy's dolphins had detected more than 100 mines and booby traps from the port of Umm Qasr in the Persian Gulf. In addition, the Navy stated it had started a breeding program in 1999 and had not captured wild dolphins since.
A dolphin's place in history should amount to more than the Flipper television series, the Free Willy movie and the Ecco video game series. A dolphin's intelligence and sonar are tools we can use to keep those in the military safe from harm. The fact that they are animals does not mean they cannot be heroes.
A 2003 article from NationalGeographic.com provides overwhelming evidence of a dolphin's tactical practicality. The article covers Navy-trained dolphins, which locate anti-ship mines in the Persian Gulf.
The reason dolphins are so effective at this is that their sonar abilities and incredible intelligence make them talented at finding objects underwater. The natural abilities surpass those of military equipment.
In the article, Whitlow Au, researcher of bioacoustics at University of Hawaii's Marine Mammal research Program, explained why dolphins are so effective at this particular task. "Dolphins have the best sonar on this planet…the Navy does not have any technological sonar that can find buried mines except for its dolphin system. They (dolphins) can not only find objects like mines that may or may not be buried into the seabed, but they can distinguish them from clutter such as coral rock and man-made debris."
Smithsonian Magazine, in September 2003, ran the article "Uncle Sam's Dolphins." The article contained a statement that the Navy's dolphins had detected more than 100 mines and booby traps from the port of Umm Qasr in the Persian Gulf. In addition, the Navy stated it had started a breeding program in 1999 and had not captured wild dolphins since.
A dolphin's place in history should amount to more than the Flipper television series, the Free Willy movie and the Ecco video game series. A dolphin's intelligence and sonar are tools we can use to keep those in the military safe from harm. The fact that they are animals does not mean they cannot be heroes.
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