WCW Investigation: DOD wastes MILLIONS on Dolphin & Sea Lion Experiments

29 October 2024 | Blog

 

  • White Coat Waste’s (WCW) new investigation reveals that the Department of Defense (DOD) wastes $40 million annually for bizarre experiments on marine mammals.
  • Dolphins and sea lions imprisoned by the U.S. Navy are trained to complete treacherous mine-sweeping and other military missions in exchange for their meals.
  • Animals are subjected to various abusive and needless experiments involving sleep deprivation, being blasted with loud sounds, force-fed gallons of seawater, and playing video games.
  • The Navy recently announced its plan to retire these cruel marine mammal experiments and use aquatic drones instead, but Congress passed a bill forcing them to continue.
  • WCW previously exposed and united Congressional Republicans and Democrats to defund the DOD’s wasteful experiments on cats and dogs.
  • WCW is on a mission to get the DOD and other government agencies out of the animal testing business.

Elon Musk isn’t the only one forced to abuse marine mammals in experiments by the U.S. government.

The Department of Defense (DOD) is also forcing taxpayers to foot the $40 million annual bill for marine mammal abuse, like putting headphones on sea lions and playing sounds directly into their ears.

For more than 60 years, the U.S. Navy has captured, trained, and imprisoned a fleet of dolphins and sea lions to experiment on and force to execute military missions underwater.

WCW’s new investigation of the program has revealed some of the cruel and wasteful experiments to which DOD white coats subject these unfortunate animals to.

The Navy exploits the dolphins’ precise sonar capabilities and sharp senses by forcing them to perform dangerous taskssuch as mine sweeping missions, locating lost equipment, and notifying military personnel of intrudersin exchange for their meals.

Dolphins are highly intelligent and deeply emotional beings. They require massive amounts of social and environmental stimulation. However, these dolphins are confined in a 30’ x 30’ x 8’—or smaller—netted pen and are only allowed to leave it for training.

What’s worse, the Navy’s dolphins are also subjected to traumatizing travel as the military ships them from base to base and place to place. They are transported in cramped restraint containers on voyages that sometimes last weeks.

The Navy’s sea lions share a similar tragic reality.

In addition to risky military missions, DOD white coats conduct other pointless experiments on marine mammals; which they have detailed in over 2,200 published papers.  

In one case, experimenters wanted to see how dolphins would react to ingesting salt water. They did this by restraining the dolphins, shoving a feeding tube down their throat, and force-feeding them a gallon of seawater at a time. Like humans, dolphins do not drink salt water; and forcing it into their body leaves them extremely ill. 

Other cruel and wasteful experiments conducted by the Navy’s white coats include intentionally trapping dolphins in nets to see how they react, forcing sea lions to play video games for meals, exposing the animals to extremely cold temperatures, and sleep deprivation experiments.

DOD wastes MILLIONS

To top off the disturbing details of this reprehensible program, it’s important to note the controversial sources from which the Navy acquired their dolphins and sea lions. 

Documents obtained by WCW via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and elsewhere confirm that marine mammals used by the Navy were ripped from their natural habitats, bred in captivity destined for a life of experimental slavery, and purchased from SeaWorld.

DOD wastes MILLIONS

DOD wastes MILLIONS

The Navy recently sought to phase out the use of marine mammals for locating and neutralizing sea mines and to start using underwater drones instead.

DOD wastes MILLIONS

However, Congress passed a 2023 defense bill senselessly prohibiting the Navy from retiring their wasteful and cruel Marine Mammal Program.

$40 million tax dollars a year to abuse dolphins and sea lions in unnecessary experiments, on top of the DOD’s wasteful spending on dog and cat testing that we recently exposed. Is this how you want your money spent? 

Tell Congress to defund the DOD’s experiments on dolphins, sea lions, and other animals!

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