ABSTRACT
Sea lions are willing to work, but they are also eager to play and while they are helpful in marine surveillance, especially in seeking out mines, they take frequent breaks to engage in marine antics. Sea lions are not as smart as bottlenose dolphins, but they are nevertheless intelligent and energetic and have been trained in many surveillance tasks, including mine detection. Wildlife protection requires careful animal surveillance to make sure there is sufficient habitat and that nature’s balance isn’t upset by intrusive development, over-harvesting. Even bees can be enlisted as surveillance agents as they travel out to flowers and bring back pollen whose genetic and chemical characteristics tell something about what is happening beyond the hive. Sometimes animals themselves are the subject of surveillance. Dogs are one of the most common animals used for surveillance. Bionic control mechanisms—components that can be attached to animals or implanted—have been developed to “steer” them or control them in other ways.
