Since 1959, the US military has been training groups of dolphins and sea lions for various operational activities.
One would think that in 2023, when there is a high awareness of the abuse and treatment of animals, this would already be stopped, but it turns out that the American Congress thinks otherwise - and even torpedoed a plan to retire the animals.
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Although Navy captains proposed using underwater vehicles and technological sensors to detect mines on the seabed and find military equipment (just as the dolphins and sea lions in the special unit do today) so that their service can then be dispensed with, US lawmakers required the Navy to find sensors and tools Good for the task - and actually prevented the end of the program, even if temporarily.
Today, these animals carry out their patrol and defense operations alongside ships, sonars, naval helicopters and mine detection and clearance teams, and also actively defend the naval ports against invaders.
Meanwhile, the US Navy continues to train a select group of animals at the Naval Base at Point Loma in San Diego.
A dolphin during US Navy training, in 2003 // Photo: Mate 1st Class Brien Aho
Referring to the initiative, the unit's spokesman Darian Wilson said that "perhaps one day it will be possible to complete these tasks with underwater drones, but for now the technology cannot do everything the animals can do." The project's budget, most of which is still classified, this year is 40 million dollars - using the power of 77 dolphins and 47 sea lions.
The reason for choosing dolphins and sea lions for the mission is because dolphins have biological sonar that does a much better job than any technological sonar, and sea lions have sharp vision and a special sense of hearing even in murky water.
Another advantage that these animals have is their ability to dive to a depth that human divers do not reach.
Dolphins dive to a depth of 1,000 feet and sea lions to a depth of 900 feet.
This ability makes them excellent fighters against invaders who arrive by diving through the sea.
Sea lions, in 2019, photo: Moshe Shay
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