[thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: The answer for Dave's "Animal Kingdom Jihad"

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Posted by The Night Writer:
The answer for Dave's "Animal Kingdom Jihad"
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1171423706.shtml


   My friend KingDavid at The Far Wright has been keeping track of animal
   attacks on humans -- the [1]Animal Kingdom Jihad (AKJ) -- since Steve
   Irwin was killed. It's already grown to an impressive list. Now we can
   all sleep easier knowing that at least some of the animals are on our
   side.

     [2]Navy May Deploy Anti-Terrorism Dolphins
     Feb 12, 9:27 PM (ET)
     By THOMAS WATKINS
     SAN DIEGO (AP) - Dozens of dolphins and sea lions trained to detect
     and apprehend waterborne attackers could be sent to patrol a
     military base in Washington state, the Navy said Monday. In a
     notice published in this week's Federal Register, the Navy said it
     needs to bolster security at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, on the Puget
     Sound close to Seattle.
     The base is home to submarines, ships and laboratories and is
     potentially vulnerable to attack by terrorist swimmers and scuba
     divers, the notice states.
     Several options are under consideration, but the preferred plan
     would be to send as many as 30 California sea lions and Atlantic
     Bottlenose dolphins from the Navy's Marine Mammal Program, based in
     San Diego.
     "These animals have the capabilities for what needs to be done for
     this particular mission," said Tom LaPuzza, a spokesman for the
     Marine Mammal Program.
     LaPuzza said that because of their astonishing sonar abilities,
     dolphins are excellent at patrolling for swimmers and divers. When
     a Navy dolphin detects a person in the water, it drops a beacon.
     This tells a human interception team where to find the suspicious
     swimmer.
     Dolphins also are trained to detect underwater mines; they were
     sent to do this in the Iraqi harbor of Umm Qasr in 2003. The last
     time the animals were used operationally in San Diego was in 1996,
     when they patrolled the bay during the Republican National
     Convention.
     Sea lions can carry in their mouths special cuffs attached to long
     ropes. If the animal finds a rogue swimmer, it can clamp the cuff
     around the person's leg. The individual can then be reeled in for
     questioning.
     The Navy is seeking public comment for an environmental impact
     statement on the proposal.

   HT: [3]The Llama Butchers -- "Well, it's not exactly sharks with
   fricken' laser beams attached to their fricken' heads, but still very
   cool."

References

   1. http://www.thefarwright.blogspot.com/
   2. http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070213/D8N8I4JO0.html
   3. http://llamabutchers.mu.nu/archives/215473.php