Russia has never commented on the discovery of the whale or the harness on it.
However, if a spy, Hvaldimir was perhaps the friendliest of spies ever. He enjoyed playing with people, and went viral over the years — for retrieving a kayaker’s GoPro camera, playing fetch with a rugby ball and playing with an underwater drone.
But his encounters with humans weren’t always fun. NPR reports that the gentle giant bore scars from being hit by multiple boats, and experts warned that he faced lower odds of survival as a “solitary sociable individual.”
Concerns had grown last year when he was spotted in Sweden, which has more people and fewer fish than Norway.
Animals used as spies
It has never been confirmed or denied if Hvaldimir was indeed a spy. However, if he was, he wasn’t the first animal to be involved in espionage. During World War I, pigeons were used not only to ferry messages in the frontline, they were also used as spies with little cameras fitted to their legs.
And as recently as May 2023, the Mumbai Police caught a pigeon with two rings tied to its legs, carrying words that “looked like Chinese”. It was later set free after authorities said it was an open-water racing bird from Taiwan which had escaped.
Amidst the Cold War, the US Navy, it is reported, had trained dolphins to detect submarines and underwater mines. In the ’60s, America’s CIA deployed cats as part of Project Acoustic Kitty. These felines were wired with a microphone and transmitter, to monitor conversations between foreign agents and their Soviet handlers.
There’s also reports of other animals being used in espionage activities — ranging from rats to squirrels.
With inputs from agencies
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=66d969ade03f49efa6425e86daeb7077&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.firstpost.com%2Fexplainers%2Fhvaldimir-russian-spy-whale-killed-mystery-death-famous-white-beluga-13811998.html&c=5189963470851880030&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-09-04 20:53:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
