Since the 1960s the U.S. Navy has maintained an elite team of bottlenose dolphins for both research and hazardous duty such as locating mines underwater. Until recently about a hundred dolphins lived at Navy facilities in Hawaii and San Diego, where trainer Lauryn Crosthwaite exercises one of her troops.

But Defense Department cuts have reached even the Dolphin squad, and to save Money, the Navy is looking for new homes for 25 to 30 animals. So far about 20 have been moved to aquariums and sanctuaries, including Sugarloat Dolphin Sanctuary in the Florida Keys. Its director,Lloyd Good III, plans to aplply for a permit to free his five Navy dolphins alter extensive conditioning designed to help them survive in the wild – a controversial experiment.

Navy spokesman Tom LaPuzza cuotes many hurdles. The former cautives must learn to catch their own fish and be accepted by a wild dolphins school. “Their reliance on humans will have to be completely broken”, he notes. Another cause for concernsis possible transmisión of diseases between the released and wild dolphins.

Sources: Dolphins Defender

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