The death of a spy usually doesn't make news, as it’s kept secret. But when a white beluga whale suspected of spying for Moscow was found dead in Norway in September, it quickly became a topic of interest.
The whale, named Hvaldimir (a mix of the Norwegian word for whale and Russia's president's name), even had an official autopsy. It had been discovered as a spy in 2019 and was part of a long history of animals used for spying.
In the past, the Soviet Union had a program where they trained marine animals like whales and dolphins for espionage, but it ended in 1991. The US also experimented with animals for spying, some of these dating back to the 1960s.
One of the CIA's more unusual plans was called Operation Acoustic Kitty, where they implanted a microphone and antenna into a cat to eavesdrop on conversations. However, the test failed when the cat wandered off and was run over by a taxi, leading to the end of the project.
Another, more successful use of animals in espionage involved pigeons. The CIA used pigeons equipped with small cameras to take photos in restricted areas and return home safely, thanks to their ability to find their way back. This program was inspired by similar efforts in Britain during World War II.
Over time, technology allowed intelligence agencies to create animals with more control, such as Project Aquiline, which tried to build a bird-like drone for spying. A smaller version, the insectothopter, was developed in the 1970s. Though these projects didn’t fully work, they paved the way for today’s drones.
In the 1990s, the CIA created robotic animals like Charlie the robotic catfish, which was more effective and less vulnerable than animals like Hvaldimir.
Sometimes, unusual spy plans didn’t go as expected. For example, during World War II, the British tried to use dead rats filled with explosives to disrupt German factories. Though the rats were intercepted, their discovery caused so much panic that it became a success without even being used.
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There were also efforts to disguise spy devices as ordinary objects. One famous failure involved MI6 in Moscow, where they tried to use a fake rock to hide secret information. The operation was discovered in 2006, leading to embarrassment for the UK government, with the media calling it “more Johnny English than James Bond.”
While new technology and big budgets help intelligence agencies, sometimes the best solutions come from quick thinking and creativity. One example is the rescue of Oleg Gordievsky, a valuable double agent for Britain, in 1985.
The team of diplomats used clever tricks to avoid detection, like distracting guard dogs with a bag of crisps and even using a baby’s nappy to distract them further.
In the end, while high-tech methods are helpful, the most successful spies often rely on quick, fearless action.
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