US/IRAQ: A yelping brood of US Navy-trained sea lions has settled into the strategic waters of the Gulf port of Manama, where an armada has massed in the US-Iraq standoff.
Graduates of the Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Centre in San Diego, the sea lions have been flown in to help the Harbour Patrol Unit guard the headquarters of the Navy's 5th Fleet against underwater saboteurs.
"They're very vocal animals. It's a good sign when they make noise, because it shows they're getting comfortable," said Ms Brenda Bryan, head trainer of the animals, which were slithering around the special operations pier. She and three others accompanied the sea lions from San Diego and will serve as a liaison to the patrol and special operations teams.
In their sentry work, the sea lions are trained to alert humans when they detect an intruding diver and to mark the intruder with a "restraint device" - a C-shaped clamp the animal attaches to the diver's leg like a handcuff. The sea lion then deploys a floating marker attached to the clamp before swimming away to safety.
"Sea lions can operate in shallow-water environments. They can see in near-darkness, and they have multidirectional hearing - all capabilities that humans don't have," Lieut Josh Frey, a 5th Fleet public affairs officer, said.
The animals have other advantages over humans. They can swim 25 m.p.h. and dive repeatedly - as deep as 1,000 ft - without tiring.
They are better suited to the work in the Gulf than dolphins, which have been part of naval undersea warfare exercises for four decades, because they adapt better to the region's higher temperatures and shallow harbours. Sea lions can even pursue a fleeing suspect on to dry land. The programme has prepared 20 for the missions.
Animal rights groups object to the use of the animals in a military operation. "What we have a problem with is anyone intentionally putting these animals in harm's way," Ms Stephanie Boyles, a wildlife biologist, said. (Washington Post Service)