US Navy Seal (The Flippered Kind) Dies in Washington Zoo
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Gunnar, an authentic former US Navy seal whose many talents included using a screwdriver under water, has died at the age of 38, the National Zoo in Washington said Tuesday.Born in Iceland in November 1973, gray seal Gunnar was specially trained to carry out deep-sea tasks during the Cold War, such as diving as far down as 475 feet (145 meters) to recover items from the ocean floor.
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"In his career as a navy seal, Gunnar learned how to insert and remove equipment, use a screwdriver and turn a large wheel valve," said the zoo in a statement, playing a pun on the US Navy's storied SEAL commando units.
He arrived at the National Zoo in January 1979 from the Naval Oceans Systems Center in San Diego, California, where he sired two female pups that now live in a New Jersey aquarium.
A human SEAL team carried out the successful May 2011 mission to kill Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.
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4 Comments
So sorry to hear about Gunnar. Such a good looking seal. He will be missed, glad that he sired some young ones!!! RIP Gunner!!
July 01 2012 at 9:45 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyKim?.....you know she has nothing at all.....until she reveals her and her mom, I guess we just have to wait! ...OK....she is nasty.
June 26 2012 at 9:10 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyOpps, thinking faster than typing, forgot the word "knew". Sorry about that.
June 26 2012 at 7:17 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI never that there was an official navy seal. This is interesting. It makes a person wonder how these animals are trained, after all they do not understand what we are saying.
June 26 2012 at 7:04 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply