Exceptional anti-terrorism member

　　反恐知多少：动物也疯狂

　　导读：可爱乖巧的海豚和海狮充当高效反恐先锋(pioneer)，成为美国反恐大军中的佼佼者。它们不仅可为美国海军减少巨额损失，同时还能帮助救赎生命。

　　In a little-known part of the counter-terrorism world, one of the most effective detection systems is a 600-pound animal that works for about 20 pounds of fish a day.

　　在反恐界很少有人知道，一群600英镑重的动物组成了最高效的侦测体系，他们每天的工资就是20磅鱼。

　　Since the 1960s, the United States and a handful of other countries have trained dolphins and sea lions to detect sea mines and swimmers, and to recover inert torpedoes and testing objects used in Navalexercises.

　　从1960年开始，美国和少数几个国家就开始训练海豚和海狮来负责侦测水雷和潜水者，当然也包括恢复那些没有爆炸的鱼雷和帮助海军进行训练。

　　Program officials estimate that the sea lions in the Marine MammalProgram have recovered millions of dollars of U.S. Naval torpedoesand instrumentation dropped on the sea floor.

　　这个项目的官员预计，海洋哺乳动物专案计划中的海狮已经帮助恢复了落在基岸的海军鱼雷和仪器，这些设备价值上百万美元。

　　The U.S. Navy kept its Marine Mammal Program a secret until the 1990s, and this spring CNN became one of only a handful of media outlets to see firsthand how the program works.

　　美国海军一直保持这个秘密项目至90年代，在今年春季CNN才成为少数几个有机会一睹该项目运作方式的媒体。

　　The program trains about 75 Pacific bottlenose dolphins, with natural biosonar that tracks better than any manmade device; and 35 California sea lions, with superb underwater eyesight.

　　这个项目训练了大约75只太平洋瓶鼻海豚，他们的声纳系统比任何人造设备都更为精准;同时还有35只海狮，这些海狮在水下有超人的视力。

　　Not only do these trained marine mammals track and retrieve millions of dollars in U.S. military equipment, they are also helping to save lives.

　　这些受过训练的海洋哺乳动物不仅帮助美国挽回了上百万美元的军事设备，还能够救赎生命。

　　The Navy won`t disclose whether the dolphins and sea lions have effectively intercepted terrorists attempting to do harm to any U.S. facilities.

　　但是美国军方并不愿意透露这些海豚和海狮是否曾经有效拦截企图破坏美军设备的恐怖活动。

　　"Either way, it serves as a deterrent effect." says Christian Harris, operations supervisor for the program.

　　但是这个项目的负责人克里斯蒂安?哈里斯说道：“无论如何，它们都能起到威慑作用。”

　　The mammals can be deployed via C-130 cargo aircraft to perform their missions anywhere in the world within 72 hours. They have been used in exercises from Alaska to Hawaii, operating in great temperature and environmental ranges. They also have the capability to operate off vessels.

　　这些动物可在72小时内通过C-130运输机在全球执行任何任务。他们已经在阿拉斯加和夏威夷参加过训练，他们可在温差巨大和气候多变的条件下执行任务。他们甚至可以脱离舰队指挥执行任务。

　　Dolphins most recently were deployed in the Iraq war, performing mine detection and clearanceoperations in the Persian Gulf to ensure safe passage for humanitarian ships delivering aid. Some of these Iraq war "veterans" are now back home, tasked with a new mission: guarding nuclear submarines in their homeports of Bremerton, Washington, and Groton, Connecticut.

　　最近，海豚被调动至伊拉克战场上，进行矿藏探测和波斯湾海域障碍扫除工作，以保证人道主义支援的船只可安全通过。有部分经历了伊拉克战争的“老兵”已遣返回乡，接受新的任务：保护和他们自己的港湾在一起的美国核潜艇基地——华盛顿特区的布雷默顿，以及康涅狄格州的格罗顿。

编辑：张雨

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