Expert: MARK A. HOWELL - 9/25/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi,  I'm doing a project for my marine biology class, we have to pick one job that is related to marine life and create a presentation on it. We have to have an interview with an expert and I was wondering if you knew anything about the military's use of trained dolphins and sea lions and if you did if I could ask you a few questions about it.
Thank you,
Sam

ANSWER: Sam,
Although the Marine Mammal Program is run by the Navy I do indeed know a bit about it.  I'll be glad to answer your questions.
Colonel H

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Colonel H,
Thanks, I was wondering if you knew what you need to do to become a part of the program, like if you need to go to college for it or have to have any previous work experience for it. And I was wondering if you were part of it, what you would be generally doing. And I would like to know what a dolphin would do if it found a mine underwater, or if they train them to maybe place mines?  
Sam

Answer
Sam,
A few years ago I visited the San Diego facility where they train dolphins.  A Navy friend of mine who ran the program invioted me to take a tour in exchange for me taking him on a tour of an underground ICBM missile silo.  The information I learned there is what I'm using to answer your questions.

The Navy's marine mammal program (NMMP) is based in San Diego, and they train dolphins and other marine mammals to locate sea mines and also to stand guard at harbors and ships to detect enemy scuba divers.  A few dolphins are trained in an Atlantic Ocean facility.  The dolphin uses its sonar ability upon a cue from the handler, and communicates in a particular way to the handler when an object is found.  If the object is a mine, the dolphin marks the location by releasing a buoy.  The ships avoid the area of the mines, or the mines are disarmed by navy divers.  There are more than 40 types of dolphins and the Navy has experimented with all types, as well as sea lions, seals, sharks, and whales.  The Navy discovered that the bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions were the best to work with.  The Bottlenose Dolphin is the most common and familiar species of dolphin.  Many of the other species were dangerous and untrainable.  The Bottlenose Dolphin are friendly, fairly easy to train, adapt well to humans, and are very strong and hearty.

First of all, you need to know that  the dolphins are treated very humanely and are well-cared for.  They have their own full-time staff of veterinarians, veterinarian technicians, and highly trained marine biologists.  The doctors and staff are on call around-the-clock so  the animals get the care that they need.  Their goal is to keep the dolphins and sea lions healthy and fit for duty with routine physicals, nutrition oversight, and extensive data collection and management.  Dolphins are trained much like police dogs and hunting dogs are.  They are given incentives such as fish and squid when they do a task correctly.  In fact from what I observed, the dolphins ate better than I do (or at least more often).  I love fried squid (calamari) but seldom eat it because it's expensive.  Those lucky dolphins dine on it every day.

Animal rights activists would have you believe otherwise.  They take one incident and blow it out of proportion and try to make you believe it happens all the time to all the animals, because it helps support their cause.  Sure some dolphins have died but humans also get into accidents and die from infections.  The Navy has been training dolphins for over 40 years so they know what they're doing.  They wouldn't spend a lot of time and money to train animals and the harm them, if nothing else that would be a poor investment.  Likewise, the Navy does not train dolphins to harm humans or to carry weapons to destroy ships.  The Navy strictly follows regulations of the Marine Mammal Protection, and the Animal Welfare Act.  The Navy is responsible for meeting all the laws regarding acquisition, care and treatment of its marine mammals, and not only meets but exceeds them and leads the industry over zoos and aquariums such as Sea World.  An instruction from the Secretary of the Navy requires that the Navy's "marine mammals will be provided the highest quality of humane treatment and care."  Congress has provided the Navy with exemptions to a few specific requirements in support of national security, but none are related to the care and well-being of the animals.  Back in the 1970's there was a movie called "The Day of the Dolphin" that depicted dolphins trained to carry weapons and to attack enemy ships.  It was a good movie but of course it was fictional.  Fiction is always more interesting than the truth, that's why the National Enquirer sells so many papers.  Since dolphins cannot tell the difference between enemy and friendly ships, or enemy and friendly divers and swimmers, it would not be wise to give that kind of decision authority to an animal.  That decision is always left to humans.  

The Navy currently relies on dolphins and sea lions to help protect lives and naval assets for two major reasons: 1) Their sensory capabilities; and, 2) their diving capabilities.  Dolphins naturally possess the most sophisticated sonar known to man .  Mines and other potentially dangerous objects are acoustically difficult targets to detect, especially in dark or murky water.  The dolphin's sonar system is unmatched in its ability to make accurate detections.  The sea lion has excellent low light vision and underwater directional hearing capabilities.  Sea lions are not only adept at locating objects in challenging conditions, they also have the ability to maneuver in tight spaces and can go onto the shore if necessary.  Both animals are also very fast.  Dolphins can make repeated deep-water dives without suffering the effects of decompression sickness or "the bends" as humans do.  One dolphin, two handlers, and a rubber boat searching for mines can effectively replace a full-sized Navy ship and its crew, a group of human divers, and the doctors, cooks and machinery necessary to support the divers operating onboard the ship.   Enemy forces standing guard at ports, harbors and ships expect to see dolphins in the water because that's their natural environment, so dolphins sightings go unnoticed.  Wheras a human diver is out of his environment and when spotted you can assume he's an enemy up to no good.  The dolphins locate and mark the location of mines which are usually magnetic and are designed to be set off by large ships, not aquatic animals.  In the swimmer detection program, dolphins and sea lions move so quickly and with such accuracy that human swimmers in dark or murky waters are located and marked before they know what has happened.  Once their location has been marked, the animals are removed from the area before mines are disarmed or swimmers are apprehended by trained security forces.  Dolphins are actually in more danger from sharks and other natural enemies than from their work for the Navy.  Dolphins are so efficient in their training that many enemy navies fear them.  When the United States used dolphins in the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq war, it was reported that Iranian patrol boats would machine gun any dolphin they saw, afraid it might be detecting their mines.

The dolphins and sea lions are trained by five teams of the Navy’s Marine Mammal fleet members.  One team specializes in swimmer detection, three teams for mine location, and another team for object recoveries.   The Dolphins are trained to detect underwater mines and enemy swimmers and then report back to their handlers.

Dolphins are kept and trained in their own natural ocean environment, so their habitat never really changes.  Dolphins are kept in ocean pens, areas of the ocean that are fenced of with mesh wire.  Over short distances, animals are trained to either swim alongside a small boat or to ride in the boat itself.  For long distance trips, animals can be transported by sea in large ships or by air in planes or helicopters.  For these trips, dolphins ride in specially designed enclosures and are kept cool, wet, and comfortable.  Sometimes they are placed in fleece-lined stretchers that are suspended in fiberglass containers filled with enough water to comfortably support the weight of the animal.  On these long transports, a veterinarian oversees the comfort and health care of all the animals while each animal is constantly monitored by an experienced trainer or handler.  Upon arrival at their destinations, animals are housed in temporary facilities that are much like those in San Diego.  Additionally, a portable veterinary clinic accompanies the animals to provide veterinarians with everything they need to care for the health of the animals.  Dolphins and their handlers must be ready to mobilize as a team and reach their destination in 72 hours.   During these flights they are out of their natural habitat for a few short hours.  Because their trainer accompanies them, the dolphins tolerate the ride well are have no stress.  Once they are ready to go to work, they're still in their environment.  Pacific dolphins are kept in the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic dolphins are kept in the Atlantic Ocean because it is slightly saltier than the Pacific Ocean.

With the added advantage of working with animals trained to operate in open water without restraint, Navy as well as visiting scientists have learned many things about marine mammals that we might still not know otherwise.

The Marine Mammal Program offers two types of student internships at the Navy marine mammal facility in San Diego: animal care and training and veterinary medicine. Interested students are chosen from all over the country to participate in these voluntary internships that provide valuable exposure and experience in various aspects of marine mammal training, husbandry, and research.

In the Animal Care and Training Internship Program, students provide support to Navy Marine Mammal Program Staff while getting a dynamic educational experience in the field of marine mammal care and training. The internship program is designed to give undergraduate students hands-on experience with marine mammals. Students will be responsible for a number of support tasks with dolphins and sea lions throughout the course of the internship. These responsibilities will include diet preparation, sanitation, and equipment and facility maintenance. Interns may also have the opportunity to assist the marine mammal training staff in husbandry and open ocean training. In addition, they will provide support to the animal care staff in animal physicals and assist with a number of different marine mammal research projects. Lectures and field trips will also be conducted throughout the term to enhance the learning experience. It is particularly suited for juniors and seniors in fields such as biology, zoology, marine science, animal behavior, psychology, and veterinary science. This is a volunteer program and students must commit to 40 hours per week for 16 consecutive weeks.

The Veterinary Medical Externship is designed for veterinary students, preferably during their senior level or fourth year at an accredited veterinary college. Four students are selected each year to participate in the 4-6 week externship; only one student is on-site at a time. During this time, they are given the opportunity to observe and participate in various clinical activities under the direction of the veterinary staff. In addition, they are expected to select and complete a clinical project in marine mammal medicine during their stay.

If you still have some questions about the NMMP, you can contact the SSC Pacific Public Affairs Office at: (619) 553-2717 or you can send them an e-mail at: nmmp_intern@spawar.navy.mil.

I hope this helps you.
Colonel H