Since the beginning of time humans have tried to use animals as weapons to get an extra edge over their enemies. From the legions of attack animals of Roman and Greek empires to the anti-tank dogs of the Red Army, trained and at times equipped creatures have made their mark on the history of warfare.
More recently, nations have started toying with the idea of using animals for spying purposes, given the advancements made in surveillance technology. Their attention is drawn mostly to the marine creatures that can conduct their business more covertly than land or air-based ones.
Despite news of such programs sporadically surfacing over the years, there is little info on how they are progressing.
Last week, in the waters off Norway, a possible clue into how far research into this field can go surfaced, as fishermen spotted a beluga whale wearing a strange harness. According to the people who found it, the beluga was trying to approach the fishing boats when it was caught on film.
Norway, a very sensible nation when it comes to the plans of neighboring behemoth Russia, quickly took steps to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Audun Rikardsen, a professor at the Arctic University of Norway, was quoted as saying by Military Times that the animal “is used to get food served so that is why it has made contacts with the fishermen,” and that it is probably involved with the Russian Navy in Murmansk.
According to various sources, the harness was inscribed with the words "St. Petersburg" and an unidentified logo. It’s unclear what the harness could have been used for, as there was no other equipment attached to it.
Despite efforts made over the years to tame and train whales and dolphins, none of the world’s militaries have reported any success in this field.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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