An experiment conducted in the 1960s unfolded in a strange way, surprising everyone involved in its planning. That year, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) funded an experiment aimed at teaching dolphins to understand and mimic human speech. The long-term goal of this experiment was to explore how dolphins could help humans communicate with extraterrestrials if they indeed exist.
To facilitate this experiment, a large complex officially named the “Dolphin House” was constructed. Six-year-old dolphin Peter was assigned to a 23-year-old research assistant named Margaret Howe, who was responsible for teaching him. They had a span of 10 weeks to complete their experiment.
Peter and Margaret meet for the first time during the English language training experiment for dolphins.
Throughout this time, Margaret spent almost all her time underwater with Peter, except for the moments she had to come ashore to nap, shower, and rest. The duo lived, ate, slept, and played together as Margaret tried to teach Peter how to mimic human sounds.
The supervisor of the experiment was Dr. John C. Lilly, from the Dolphin Point Laboratory on St. Thomas Island in the Caribbean. He speculated that dolphins could begin to mimic human voices within 10 to 20 years from the time the experiment was conducted.
However, contrary to his predictions, a strange bond developed between dolphin Peter and Margaret. No one could believe it, but it seemed that Peter had developed a deep affection for his teacher.
They lived together for ten weeks.
After four weeks of training, Margaret noticed that Peter began to enjoy being near her, displaying flirtatious behaviors typical of male dolphins, such as touching and rubbing against Margaret’s legs.
As the affectionate reactions from Peter became increasingly apparent, Margaret felt compelled to accommodate him in order to keep Peter focused on completing the experiment. On many occasions, Margaret asserted that all her decisions were aimed at serving the purpose of the experiment, rather than fulfilling any personal desires, even though to her, Peter was a special and lovable creature.
Peter began to develop feelings for Margaret in the fourth week.
“The relationship shifted from a necessity of being together to a mutual enjoyment of each other’s company and wanting to be together. I felt a sense of longing for Peter when I wasn’t with him,” Margaret shared in a BBC documentary in 2014.
“He knew I was there, and I was there. For Peter, this relationship was certainly sexual; for me, it was not, but this experience was truly very sensitive.” Peter even exhibited signs of jealousy when he saw “his girl” talking to others. Despite being housed with two other female dolphins, he showed no interest in them and remained indifferent.
Peter slept right next to Margaret’s hanging bed, and the two would watch TV together. The dolphin even began to form some human-like sounds, particularly the word “ball.”
Peter slept right next to Margaret’s hanging bed.
As the funding for the experiment began to dwindle and the bond between “teacher and dolphin” grew closer, the Dolphin House was forced to close. Dolphin Peter was transferred to a smaller laboratory in Florida, completely separated from Margaret. In the initial days following this change, Peter showed extreme distress. Weeks went by, and in his despair, Peter… committed suicide.
“Dr. John called me and said that Peter had committed suicide,” Margaret shared with The Guardian. Experts at the Florida laboratory concluded that Peter died from not being able to see the one he loved.
Mrs. Margaret in the BBC documentary in 2014.
“That girl could get through it, but Peter could not,” they said. According to Ric O’Barry, a researcher from an animal rights organization, he asserted that Peter’s death was an act of “suicide” by the dolphin. He explained: “Dolphins are not self-breathing like humans. Every breath they take is a controlled effort. If faced with significant changes, dolphins can simply take a breath and sink to the bottom. They do not surface for the next breath.”
Thus, that experiment failed to teach dolphins English but provided researchers with profound insights into the strong emotions of animals, especially dolphins.
The animal was transferred to Florida and has been separated from its “lover” since then.
