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Russia's defense industry

Russian Defense Ministry wants to buy 5 dolphins

The document posted on the website of state purchases doesn’t say, however, for which purposes the dolphins will be caught

© Yuri Smityuk/TASS

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MOSCOW, March 9. /TASS/. Russia’s Defense Ministry is planning to buy five bottlenose dolphins for 1.75 million rubles ($24,475), according to a document posted on the website of state purchases on Wednesday.

The tender documentation specifies that the Russian Defense Ministry needs two female and three male dolphins between 3 and 5 years of age. The ministry wants to buy the species with the body length of 2.3 to 2.7 meters. The document emphasizes that the dolphins "should display motor activity."

The bottlenose dolphins should be caught in the presence of marine mammal specialists and transported by freight vehicles in bathtubs with sea water, according to the document posted on the website of Russia’s state purchases.

The dolphins that will be caught should necessarily undergo a 30-day quarantine period at a facility "provided by the contractor," the document says.

The document doesn’t say, however, for which purposes the dolphins will be caught.

It was reported in late 2014 that Russia’s Black Sea Fleet had held exercises with combat dolphins. The Russian Defense Ministry dismissed these reports at that time. Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said "there is no need in using the exotic methods of protecting the adjacent water area.".

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