The State - News from Dec. 16, 1988

Autopsies on dolphins that have died while being trained for Navy underwater security and surveillance work suggest possible mistreatment, some outside experts say. Marine mammal biologist Tag Gornall, marine fisheries scientist Ken Pierce and civilian dolphin trainer Rick Trout told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that reports of autopsies performed on 13 dolphins that died in training or soon after deployment omitted some key details, but raised questions about the nature of the experiments. In the case of one male dolphin, a Navy report gave the cause of death as heart failure. Trout and Gornall noted that the mammal had lost 21 pounds. Gornall said the dolphin apparently was desperately trying to keep warm in a cold water experiment. The Marine Mammal Commission is investigating the deaths.