I'm back. Don't know whether this will work or not, but my friend Matt's been pulling some late hours on the Animals in War watch, and these are his latest results: "Marine mammal handlers play with Navy dolphins Katrina (L) and Kona (R) at a warehouse in the old port of Umm Qasr. Navy-trained dolphins have aided the clearing of mines in the southern Iraqi city" (a photo). (N.B.: You have to click through the slideshow to find the photo of Katrina and Kona. It comes right after the one of Filipino Catholic priests holding a peace march through Manila's financial district.)

And then there's this wire story, from March 14, titled "U.S. Marines Enlist Pigeons to Detect Iraqi Gas." You've probably seen photos of the pigeons by now. As Staff Sergeant Dan Wallace points out, "I got sensors that cost $12,000 and birds that cost $60 each and I place just as much trust in the bird as the sensor. Anything mechanical can fail or give us wrong readings."

Thanks, Matt. Next!