'Killer Dolphins' Escape [PHOTO]: 3 Highly Trained Marine Mammals Break Out of Ukrainian Naval Base In Search Of Love

Three highly trained military dolphins escaped a naval base last month in the Crimean sea off of the coast of Ukraine and are apparently looking for a suitable mate out in the wild. These "Killer Dolphins" had been trained to track underwater mines, attack enemy swimmers, and even plant explosives on vessels. Reports say that, after a routine training exercise, only two of the five dolphins returned to the naval base. Experts say that the reason for their departure is just their nature to look for love.

Ukrainian and Russian officials deny the incident saying that they have not escaped considering that these trained dolphins usually return after a week or so. But it this breakout happened over a month ago. In general, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry denies the military use of "attack dolphins."

According to a former Soviet naval anti-sabotage officer, Yuri Plyachenko, "Control over dolphins was quite common in the 1980s. 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."

According to Wikipedia, during the Cold War research into the use of military marine mammals was extended into the training of dolphins.

The Soviet Navy operated a research facility to explore military uses of marine mammals at Kazachya Bukhta, near Sevastopol. The Russian military is believed to have closed its marine mammal program in the early 1990s. In 2000, the press reported that dolphins trained to kill by the Soviet Navy had been sold to Iran.^[3]

Due to the secrecy of such practice, rumors of military dolphins include training them to lay underwater mines, to locate enemy combatants, or to seek and destroy submarines using kamikaze methods.^[4] There has even been speculation about the potential development of sophisticated equipment, such as poison darts, sonar jamming devices, and so on for dolphins, and about combat between cetaceans of both superpowers.

The United States Navy denies claims of using these tactics, but reports say that they used dolphins as well as sea lions.