SAN DIEGO -- In a world of high-tech sensors and underwater robotics, Koa the bottlenose dolphin and others like her may still be the Navy's best line of defense against terrorists in scuba gear.
"They are better than anything we have ever made," said Mike Rothe, head of science for the Navy's marine mammal program, which trains dolphins and sea lions to guard military installations.The article in full can be found here.
Based upon our readings for the week of April 9-13, I found this article to be a perfect example of how our military is going to great, and often ridiculous, lengths to curb terrorism with technological innovation. Here, the research within the Navy has turned to nature as a source for technology. While the natural world has been the inspiration for many great strides made in science, I find this example to be in a category of it's own.
The military is using the abilities of actual animals for their benefit, as opposed to finding inspiration from the design found in nature. The Navy's spokesperson claims that they "made" these instruments of war. They are taking credit for the natural abilities possessed by these animals. This sort of viewpoint further separates us from the fact that we don't control nature (which in itself has caused many problems for humanity).
Training these dolphins and sea lions to venture out into dangerous territory for us is, of course, found to be inhumane by many animal-rights activists. I personally feel that this development is not only exploitative and disrespectful toward nature, but that this is also attacking the problem from completely the wrong direction. Scuba-diving anti-Americans and underwater mines are hazards that won't be stopped, no matter how many dolphins we have patrolling the waters. I think that peaceful collaboration and discussion is a more effective way of alleviating the problem of people risking their lives to booby-trap international waters. Misunderstanding and disjointed viewpoints are the cause of much of the hate in the world. It's easy to hate something you aren't familiar with.
We can all agree that no one really knows what the proper solution for terrorism and hate is, if there is one. But this sort of bastardization of nature is just the latest in a long line of ridiculous responses to a complex problem. The paranoia that spawned this sort of innovation is causing Americans to accept any half-cocked idea as a cure for all types of terrorism. If we invested this much time, energy and money into programs aimed at international peace and understanding, imagine what our world would be like. Rather than spending trillions of dollars on absurd war toys, we could focus resources on developing the type of technology that actually benefits humanity. Plus, these marine animals would again be able to fish for food rather than terrorists.
Is training these animals to be terrorist-detectors really how we want to be spending our resources?
1 comment:
Jacki, with all due respect I have to disagree. How are these anti-terrorist dolphins any different morally than, say, bomb- or drug-sniffing dogs?
Would you make the argument that "Drug-smuggling anti-Americans and suitcase bombs are hazards that won't be stopped, no matter how many K-9 units we have patrolling our airports"? Of course not! K-9 units serve to defend our country and neighborhoods by not only boosting police manpower (or should I call it animal-power), but performing highly specialized tasks that humans are unable to, much as these dolphins seem to be doing also.
This USAToday article notes that:
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Dogs also can project a forceful image that reassures travelers. "For the public, they convey the message that security is happening," Tom Farmer, head of TSA's mass-transit division, told a recent rail-security conference. "They look good. They're imposing. They inspire fear about what the dogs can detect."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-02-18-security-dogs_x.htm
William Morange, security director for New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said bomb-sniffing dogs "are probably the best technology out there."
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If these dolphins can successfully detect or deter attacks, or help clear underwater minefields or even reeling in terrorists as the article you link discusses (and how cool is that?!?), how can we not make use of them? Or would you rather have humans risking their lives instead?
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