A woman who took part in a NASA-funded dolphin experiment revealed how she was in a sexual relationship with the dolphin she was working with, as she admitted to 'missing him' when he wasn't there.
Margaret Howe was tasked with attempting to get Peter, a six-year-old bottlenose, to speak through his blowhole in the 60s.
But as the 10-week teaching began, something else happened between the pair.
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Initially, she was supposed to teach him English words so that she could train him to talk like a human, but the dolphin was reaching the stage where he was ‘sexually coming of age’.
She said: “There were three dolphins. Peter, Pamela and Sissy. Sissy was the biggest. Pushy, loud, she sort of ran the show. Pamela was very shy and fearful. And Peter was a young guy. He was sexually coming of age and a bit naughty.”
So, while he was swimming, bathing, sleeping and playing with Howe, it’s understandable that he began to bond with her.
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Howe explained that the NASA experiment was unique, and opened up about the ways she kept Peter on-task.
In a BBC documentary called The Girl Who Talked to Dolphins, she shared how things became physical on both parts and turned the relationship sexual.
Dr John C. Lilly, who led the experiment, began the project by flooding a remote area in St. Thomas using seawater which came to 22 inches.
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From there, Howe’s desk was suspended from the ceiling and even had a mattress hanging too where it would be protected by a shower curtain.
After everything was set up, she began to teach Peter immediately, but he had other ideas.
At the start, she attempted to get him to say ‘Hello Margaret’, but the letter M proved difficult for him. And instead of speaking to her, he showed up with some, erm, dolphin morning wood.
Just four weeks into the project, Howe noted in her diary: “Peter has become sexually aroused several times during the week.”
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She added: “I find that his desires are hindering our relationship. He jams himself again and again against my legs, circles around me, is inclined to nibble and is generally so excited he cannot control his attitude around me.”
But this ended up being something that Howe would go on to respond to as she said: “That relationship of having to be together sort of turned into really enjoying being together, and wanting to be together, and missing him when he wasn’t there.
“I did have a very close encounter with — I can’t even say ‘a dolphin’ again — Peter.”
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She shared how she would masturbate him to bring back his focus to the lessons as transporting him to see the girls proved to be too disruptive.
“I allowed that. I wasn’t uncomfortable with it, as long as it wasn’t rough. It would just become part of what was going on, like an itch – just get rid of it, scratch it and move on. And that’s how it seemed to work out. It wasn’t private. People could observe it,” Howe admitted in the trailer for the doc.
“It would just become part of what was going on, like an itch, just get rid of that, scratch it and we’ll be done and move on.”
Howe explained that while this was sexual on Peter's part, it wasn't for her - admitting it was more 'sensuous'.
Sadly, the experiment would end badly for Peter who was shipped off back to Miami where his health took a turn for the worst.
The cause of death was ruled as a broken heart by vet Andy Williamson, who said: “Margaret could rationalize it, but when she left, could Peter?
“Here’s the love of his life gone.”
Britt Jones