Killer Whale attack in Sea World


    I too am a big fan of Irony




    KWs are badass, and that is really cool about their name.

    i like to spear fish

    Growing up, I spent the occassional summer day helping out at a Naval operation that trained dolphins, false killer whales, & sea lions. Primary objectives were patroling & location of ordinance under the water. My duties were much simpler - feed the dolphins & hide their vitamins in the smelt or mackeral. :)


    The dolphins had very distinct personalities & as Dan mentioned, some were known as "biters". These dolphins were housed in floating pens, but often had free runs in open ocean. A few were delinquent and wandered off on the return to the base... but eventually showed up swimming around the pens, waiting to get back in. Like dogs, they had a sense of curiosity to explore a bit, but felt loyalty to the trainers (& enjoyed the free meals).



    Places like Sea World are much different since they're landlocked & the animals have no recourse if they are truly unhappy.



    Here's an old article on similar Naval operations:
    http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/…hins-sea-lions-to-patrol/

    Very cool fuzz.


    From the link.

    Quote

    The dolphins, accompanied by handlers in small power boats, would work only at night. If they found an intruder, they would swim back to the boat and alert the handler, who would place a strobe light on one of the dolphin’s noses. The dolphin would race back and bump the intruder’s back, knocking the light off. The light would float to the surface, marking the spot. The dolphin would swim back to the boat, join the handler, and they would clear out. Security guards would race to the strobe to subdue the intruder. Sea lions can carry in their mouths special cuffs attached to long ropes. If they found a suspicious swimmer, they would clamp the cuff around the person’s leg. The intruder can then be reeled in for questioning.
    The Navy likes the marine mammal option because the dolphins’ biosonar is better than any man has made and they’re best for covering ground in open water. Sea lions’ sonar range isn’t as good, but they can see and hear better underwater and are better for shallower work around piers. They are reliable, available, less expensive and more effective than ROVs and combat swimmers. Technology will eventually replace them, the Navy says, but it’s not there yet.

    Quote from Dan

    Very cool fuzz.


    From the link.


    One of the cool things they did was locate unexploded ordinance or likewise artifacts underwater. In open deep water, they'd scour an area until they located it among the rocks or ocean floor. Amazing stuff. :)

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