Russian spy whale: A look at other secret agent animals... including a hero ... trends now
A Russian 'spy whale' has caused a stir since it was first discovered by fishermen off the coast of Norway four years ago, wearing a harness capable of carrying a camera.
The public were recently warned to avoid contact with the Beluga whale, which has since been spotted off Sweden, and is dubbed Hvaldimir - a pun on the Norwegian for whale and Vladimir Putin, in a reference to its possible Russian links.
Moscow has denied the marine mammal is one of its spies, while admitting that it has long employed dolphins to carry out reconnaissance and even to assassinate enemy frogmen.
Animals have long been recruited for military operations, with pigeons used by British forces to deliver urgent messages during the first and second World Wars and dogs trained to infiltrate enemy lines by parachute.
In recent years, Israel has often been accused of deploying various animals as spies, mainly by its hostile neighbours, with unfounded claims that it has sent out everything from squirrels to chameleons on top secret missions.
A beluga whale has been 'travelling along the Norwegian coast' for around four years, but has now made its way into Inner Oslofjord
While some claims beggar belief, unusual animals have been selected by intelligence agency programmes for decades, with the US openly admitting to training sea lions, cats and ravens.
Operatives from the animal world have been both a help and a hindrance to their human counterparts, with examples of dogs and pigeons saving countless lives while a cat hired by the CIA failed to make it across the road to its target.
Here, MailOnline takes a look at the mammals, birds, and even reptiles and insects which have served as spies and been accused of espionage.
Whales
Beluga whale Hvaldimir turned up in Norway in 2019, sparking speculation it was a spy trained by the Russian navy.
He was monitored travelling along the Norwegian coast for around four years, but has now ventured to new waters appearing off Sweden's coast, an organisation following him said on Monday.
The whale is known to follow boats and approach people, with its harness discovered by a fisherman and later removed in 2019.
Marine biologists have previously said it is 'undoubtable' that the whale is trained and highlighted that Russia had trained Belugas in the past to 'conduct military operations'.
The beluga whale found off Norway was dubbed Hvaldimir, a pun on the Norwegian for whale - hval - and Vladimir Putin in a reference to its possible Russian links
Marine biologist Audun Rikardsen said 'belugas, like dolphins and killer whales, are quite intelligent - they are Arctic animals and quite social, they can be trained like a dog'.
In an apparent giveaway as to the whale's origins, the clips of the harness found on it read 'Equipment St. Petersburg,' adding to a theory that he was trained by the Russian navy.
Colonel Viktor Baranets responded to the allegations 'if we were using this animal for spying do you really think we'd attach a mobile phone number with the message 'please call this number'?'
But, the military leader did not deny that the whale might have escaped from the Russian Navy, with its base at Murmanska a relatively short distance from Norway.
In an apparent giveaway, the harness clips read 'Equipment St. Petersburg,' adding to a theory that he was trained by the Russian navy
Dolphins
While Russian military brasses have denied Hvaldimir was part of their crack team of military animals, they have been very open about the work of another marine animal
Russia strenuously denied that Hvaldimir was one of their spies, Colonel Baranets said: 'We have military dolphins for combat roles, we don't cover that up.'
'In Sevastopol (in Crimea) we have a centre for military dolphins, trained to solve various tasks, from analysing the seabed to protecting a stretch of water, killing foreign divers, attaching mines to the hulls of foreign ships.'
The dolphin facility in Crimea used to be under Ukrainian control, but was seized by the Russian navy in 2014, when Russian forces took over the peninsula.
The dolphin facility in Crimea used to be under Ukrainian control, but was seized by the Russian navy in 2014, when Russian forces took over the peninsula
Now an expert on animal military activity at Manchester Metropolitan University has told MailOnline that it looks like dolphins could be being used in Putin's war effort.
Historian Gervase Phillips said: 'The satellite photos of some of the Black Sea dock installations appear to show dolphin pens.
'It might be a "bluff" to unnerve enemy frogmen, but it looks like a strong possibility they are indeed using dolphins, essentially as "sentries" I would guess.'
Images captured by an American satellite show the floating pens (inset) by the Harbour gates
A small Russian 'spy dolphin' carries a bomb during a training exercise (image date unknown)
Images released by the US Naval Institute last year show the pens were moved to the gates of Sevastopol Harbour, Crimea in the run-up to the invasion of Ukraine.
Dolphins are used by the Russian military for 'counter diver' operations.
The canny mammals, trained at the Crimean State Oceanarium can reportedly fight off invading divers, carry bombs and even plant mines.
Last year, Hamas accused Israel of deploying a 'killer dolphin' spy armed with 'weapons capable of assassinating' its fighters off the coast of Gaza.
Dolphin harnesses are used by US and Russia's marine programs (pictured)
It said the naval unit was chased by the alleged Israeli intelligence agent, which was wearing a harness equipped with weapons capable of 'assassinating' Hamas fighters.
A video posted online by the Palestinian organisation's military wing claimed one of its naval combat units had discovered and captured the hostile aquatic operative while at sea.
The alleged harness was conical and could have been attached to the dolphin's snout - similar to harnesses used by Ukrainian and Russian naval marine programmes and the US, according to defence analyst H I Sutton.
Hamas claimed Israel has 'killer dolphin' spies that carry weapons and are capable of assassinating its fighters (pictured, an mock-up of the alleged aquatic spies by defence analyst H I Sutton, known as Covert Shores)
Spokesperson Abu Hamza said in the video that the dolphin was found by one of the group's fighters.
Israel has a fleet of 'Dolphin-class' submarines but Hamas's video made it clear that the group was referring to the mammal and not the boats.
They showed footage of a harness, allegedly taken from the captured spy, which was loaded with a spear gun-like weapon - but looked similar to devices used in US, Russian and Ukrainian naval marine experiments.
A trainer touches the nose of U.S. Navy dolphin Shasta during a demonstration at the US Navy Marine Mammal Program facility at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego in 2007
The US has also been open about its underwater recruits, training dolphins for military roles since the 1960s.
The animals even became a focus of the Cold War arms race, the Smithsonian Magazine reported.
A partially declassified 1976 CIA document on dolphin training suggests the Soviets were 'also assessing and replicating US systems while possibly developing countermeasures to certain US systems.'
Sea Lions
A US Navy SEAL (Sea, Air, and Land) feeds chum to Zak, a 375-pound California sea lion, January 2003
Another marine mammal in the US Navy's arsenal is Sea Lions.
Known for their excellent eyesight, the dogs of the ocean are trained to spot underwater mines and other suspicious objects.
Pictures from 2003 show one of the seals being fed chum by a human Navy SEAL.
The 375-pound California sea lion was reportedly trained to locate swimmers near piers as well as ships, and other objects which might pose s threat to his human comrades.
Cats
The CIA's 'Acoustic Kitty' project saw surgically modified cats trained to listen in on targets.
The intelligence agency spent a staggering $10million on fitting cats with a transmitter with the help of one of the inventors of the cochlear implant.
It is difficult to know the extent of the project's success after a fire destroyed records of it.
The CIA's 'Acoustic Kitty' project saw cats trained to listen in on targets after they were surgically adapted (file image)
According to one ex-CIA official Victor Marchetti, who is quoted in the book Wizards of Langley, one mission failed after a cat was hit by a passing taxi.
The project was later scrapped in 1967, reportedly owing to the cats' propensity to wandering off.
'Views on Trained Cats,' a document in the US National Security Archive, says of the project that while 'cats can indeed be trained to move short distances,' it 'would not lend itself in a practical sense to our highly specialized needs.'
Dogs'Mans best friend' for a reason, dogs are known for their loyalty and obedience, great qualities for any spy.
Dogs' service in modern wars like Iraq and Afghanistan has been invaluable to the soldiers they serve alongside.
'We have nothing that compares to a dog's nose when it comes to sniffing out explosives or drugs, so military working dogs proved crucial in Iraq and Afghanistan to lessen the risk from IEDS,' Phillips said.
One dog's exceptional service in the field saw him receive the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross after he took out an Al Qaeda gunman – allowing special forces to storm the enemy compound.
Kuno's exceptional service in the field saw him receive the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross after he took out an Al Qaeda gunman
Kuno, a four-year-old Belgian Shepherd Malinois and military working dog, at Woolwich Barracks in London, with his PDSA Dickin Medal for valour
Kuno, a Belgian shepherd malinois, was shot several times during the operation at the heavily- fortified terrorist base.
But he showed extraordinary bravery to still take down the sniper with a military citation afterwards stating that the
