Margaret Howe Lovatt and Peter the Dolphin

Another fascinating biological discovery is Margaret Howe Lovatt’s work with the young bottlenose dolphin named Peter in Saint Thomas (the Virgin Islands).

Magaret Howe was born in 1942 in the Virgin Islands. From a young age, he developed a love for animals, especially aquatic creatures, which is why, after leaving university, he worked in a dolphin laboratory.

How did your investigation with Peter the Dolphin start? In the mid-1960s, after a period of time researching dolphins and believing that communication between dolphins and humans could be established, well-known neurologist John C. Lilly came to Saint Thomas with funding from NASA to test the theory that dolphins could learn to talk to people. He convinced Howe Lovatt to work with him and she became a volunteer naturalist.

Margaret Howe was delighted to work closely with the dolphins and under the direction of John C. Lilly, who had a great reputation in the world of science and biology. Lilly organized the construction of a two-story “Dolphinarium” so that Howe Lovatt and the chosen dolphins could work closely together to establish communication skills. Three dolphins were chosen from Marine Studios, who participated in the Flipper series  : Sissy, Pamela and Peter.

Howe Lovatt developed a close bond with Peter the Dolphin and for a few weeks Peter was trained to pronounce the sounds and intonation of English words. Margaret encouraged Peter to say the phrase “Hello, Margaret!” Peter had a hard time making the “m” sound, and investors gradually became discouraged by the slowness of the investigation.

Although the project with Peter the dolphin was closed after a few months, Howe Lovatt still believes that through more careful and patient training, dolphins will one day be able to communicate effectively with humans; Only time and money will tell if that’s true!

In conclusion, what do the four biological discoveries in today’s article have in common? They were all discovered thanks to the hard work of dedicated people who have helped us better understand the animal kingdom! Margaret Howe Lovatt and Peter the Dolphin