Dolphin down! World's only 'military trained mammals' go AWOL as they desert ... - Daily Mail

Love sick trio disappeared during training exercise near port of Sevastopol Armed for combat with guns and knives strapped to their heads Expert believes they were distracted by females - and will return By Steve Robson PUBLISHED: 11:50 EST, 12 March 2013 | UPDATED: 11:55 EST, 12 March 2013 Three military-trained dolphins have gone AWOL from the Ukrainian Navy - apparently in search of love. The marine mammals, who can attack enemies using guns and knives strapped to their head, failed to return after a training exercise near the port of Sevastopol in the Black Sea. But Yury Plyachenko, a former Soviet naval anti-sabotage officer, said he believes they have probably left to find a mate and will soon return. Highly trained: A sensor is attached to the snout of a dolphin in Sevastopol, left, and a U.S. Navy diver and marine mammal handler plays with another as part of the Marine Mammal Program in Virginia, right Mr Plyachenko, said based on his experience in the Cold War, he expects the amorous dolphins to return. 'If a male dolphin saw a female dolphin during the mating season, then he would immediately set off after her. But they came back in a week or so,' he said. The Ukrainian Defence Ministry has denied the reports that the dolphins have gone missing, or that such a unit even exists. Reports emerged last year that the Ukraine was planning to start training dolphins for military action, a tactic made famous in the Soviet era. During the Cold War, dolphins were trained by the Soviet Navy at Sevastopol, to locate mines on the seabed and attack divers. They could also carry explosives on their heads to plant them on enemy ships. When the USSR collapsed two decades ago they were redeployed to work with disabled children. The former top secret military base on the Crimean peninsula became a leading place for dolphin-therapy - a controversial alternative technique to soothe ailments - after the Soviet collapse. New purpose: The dolphins at Sevastopol had been redeployed to help treat children with disabilities such as cerebral palsy Dolphins who previously were engaged in military service turned their highly trained minds away from office to helping cure children with a range of problems from nightmares to autism to cerebral palsy. The U.S. Navy also trained dolphins for military use in Virginia as part of its Marine Mammal Program. But the Ukraine's plans to resurrect the elite unit has suffered an embarrassing setback with the disappearance of the love-sick trio. 'She didn't affirmatively say no': Silence means consent... 'It sounds like a war zone': Chaos in Brooklyn as 100... Can you spot the celebrity in these pictures? Surreal snaps... William and Kate's secret home plans: Couple given... U.S. Army veteran joins al Qaeda-linked group after months... Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Kim Kardashian, Joe Biden... Cosy and comfy, one's sitting room: Cluttered with treasures... Child bridegroom: Eight-year-old boy marries 61-year-old... 'All of a sudden I was underground': 15-ft sinkhole swallows... The wonder spot of Wisconsin: A 1950s tourist attraction... Camilla's curtsey: Duchess of Cornwall bends knee to... My hero big brother: Heart-wrenching moment a soldier's... via Science - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFYxs8S8teq1eVfl9vsoBcILQDIMg&url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2292211/Dolphin-World-s-military-trained-mammals-awol-desert-Ukrainian-Navy-search-mate.html

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