Watch out for Killer Dolphins!!!

I was shown this link about Military Dolphins equipped with darts that were released in the gulf during the Katrina storm. This just sounds like BS to me, has anyone heard any more about this????

I don't think so . . .

Stan

the Navy has used dolphins for years in a variety of roles, mostly hush-hush
to keep publicity away

i wouldn't doubt that they have dolphins trained to intercept divers underwater
if so ordered (dolphins are a lot smarter than dogs, and dogs can do the same
above water)

but i don't think any danger exists. i don't think the dolphins that escaped would
be wearing the "vests" that carry the dart guns. and even if they were wearing
the vests, they would probably only "fire" under certain conditions, which probably
involve human command through electrodes that the dolphins carry under their skin

so... i think the story is fairly accurate up to a point (trained Navy dolphins
were set adrift by Rita). i think it exagerates the danger that the dolphins pose,
and i don't know if i buy the "vest and dartgun" thing

now, here's something that doesn't ring true: the darts are supposed to
induce sleep in divers so they can be interrogated later...

ah... well, not if they drown in the meantime

hmm. Just in case, I think I'll hold off trying out my new scuba-do rag that looks like a turban.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1577753,00.html

Armed and dangerous - Flipper the firing dolphin let loose by Katrina

by Mark Townsend Houston
Sunday September 25, 2005
The Observer


It may be the oddest tale to emerge from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Armed dolphins, trained by the US military to shoot terrorists and pinpoint spies underwater, may be missing in the Gulf of Mexico.
Experts who have studied the US navy's cetacean training exercises claim the 36 mammals could be carrying 'toxic dart' guns. Divers and surfers risk attack, they claim, from a species considered to be among the planet's smartest. The US navy admits it has been training dolphins for military purposes, but has refused to confirm that any are missing.

Dolphins have been trained in attack-and-kill missions since the Cold War. The US Atlantic bottlenose dolphins have apparently been taught to shoot terrorists attacking military vessels. Their coastal compound was breached during the storm, sweeping them out to sea. But those who have studied the controversial use of dolphins in the US defence programme claim it is vital they are caught quickly.

Leo Sheridan, 72, a respected accident investigator who has worked for government and industry, said he had received intelligence from sources close to the US government's marine fisheries service confirming dolphins had escaped.

'My concern is that they have learnt to shoot at divers in wetsuits who have simulated terrorists in exercises. If divers or windsurfers are mistaken for a spy or suicide bomber and if equipped with special harnesses carrying toxic darts, they could fire,' he said. 'The darts are designed to put the target to sleep so they can be interrogated later, but what happens if the victim is not found for hours?'

Usually dolphins were controlled via signals transmitted through a neck harness. 'The question is, were these dolphins made secure before Katrina struck?' said Sheridan.

The mystery surfaced when a separate group of dolphins was washed from a commercial oceanarium on the Mississippi coast during Katrina. Eight were found with the navy's help, but the dolphins were not returned until US navy scientists had examined them.

Sheridan is convinced the scientists were keen to ensure the dolphins were not the navy's, understood to be kept in training ponds in a sound in Louisiana, close to Lake Pontchartrain, whose waters devastated New Orleans.

The navy launched the classified Cetacean Intelligence Mission in San Diego in 1989, where dolphins, fitted with harnesses and small electrodes planted under their skin, were taught to patrol and protect Trident submarines in harbour and stationary warships at sea.

Criticism from animal rights groups ensured the use of dolphins became more secretive. But the project gained impetus after the Yemen terror attack on the USS Cole in 2000. Dolphins have also been used to detect mines near an Iraqi port.

As posted by Sean on his forum......

I know the navy has trained dolphins to detect mines and perform other skills, but I really can't see a bunch of dolphins running or shall I say swimming around with toxic darts. This sounds like the line from Austin Powers about sharks with "Laser beams"

Can we say 'paranoia' and 'conspiracy theory'?? Wait.. look! They also have a UFO hidden under an oil rig and one of their sea turtles followed me home and used its special mind powers, picked me up and shook me all around!

note: this post is merely sarcasm meant for humor. There really could be dart-gun dolphins and ESP turtles.

I saw a turtle carrying an AK-47.

According to this news article http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1577753,00.html , thirty-six dolphins trained by the U.S. Navy to shoot underwater terrorists may have gotten loose during Hurricane Katrina.

So if you see a dolphin with what looks like a dart-gun strapped to its head, please swim away.

The above post was merged from another thread dealing with the same subject matter.

the K