February 13, 2003

Sea lions guard U.S. ships in Gulf

Despite having cutting-edge technology and weaponry, the United States Navy has turned to two California sea lions named Alex and Zachary to help protect its ships in Gulf waters off the coast of Bahrain. AVAL OFFICIALS SAID Tuesday the sea lions would be used to locate and mark divers or swimmers that could pose a threat to U.S. warships off Bahrain, headquarters of the Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
       The sea lions have been trained to carry a special clamp in their mouths which they can attach to a suspicious person, Commander John Wood, Special Operations Officer Naval Forces Central Command, told Reuters.
       The clamp is attached by a line to a flotation device which marks the swimmer for security personnel to apprehend him. Wood would not explain in detail how the clamp worked or what would stop a swimmer removing it.
“They (the sea lions) are very valuable in terms of capability and they are saving lives,” he said. “They can operate wherever we ask them to and are not limited to Bahrain."

Indulge me: I'm an animal lover and I thought this story was precious!
(Is America a great country or what?!?)