Armed and dangerous - Flipper the firing dolphin let loose by Katrina [View All]

[TechBear_Seattle]

Too weird, but (sadly) I can believe it. The Guardian, from the UK, is generally reliable.

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.

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