What are the origins of this fun-filled festive custom?
The Cold War was a long period of tension and rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. Instead of being a direct battle, it was more of a political, military, and ideological struggle. Animals were used during this period to obtain information in ways that would have been impossible otherwise.
In 2013, authorities in Egypt arrested a stork that was thought to have been carrying a spy device. The device was actually a tag used for tracking the bird’s migration and monitoring its health, not a surveillance tool.
In the 1930s, a monkey found washed ashore near Hartlepool, England, was mistakenly believed to be a German soldier due to its uniform. The locals, thinking it was an enemy combatant, sadly executed the monkey.
In 2018, Iran arrested environmentalists who were in possession of lizards and chameleons. Authorities believed these animals were being used to monitor Iran’s uranium mining and development. They erroneously thought that the lizards’ skin could attract atomic waves.
Sources: (CIA) (The Guardian) (National Geographic) (Spy Museum) (Spyscape)
See also: Was Coco Chanel a spy?
In 2007, 14 squirrels were arrested by the Iranian army. They were near a nuclear facility, and intelligence officers believed they were spying for Israel. As you can imagine, it turned out the squirrels weren't on a covert mission.
During World War II, the U.S. military developed a plan known as 'Project X-Ray,' which aimed to use bats to drop small bombs on Japanese cities to cause fires. The project was ultimately canceled due to practical difficulties.
A dead drop is a method used in espionage to exchange information or materials between agents without them needing to meet directly.
Tigers were found in large numbers in Vietnam during the 1950s, so a device that looked like tiger droppings was the perfect cover-up. It blended in with the natural surroundings and was unlikely to draw attention.
During the Cold War, the CIA trained a raven to drop bugging devices on window sills and deliver and retrieve small objects.
During the Vietnam War, the US wanted to devise a way to monitor the opposition's location and movement. Their idea? A seismic intruder detection device that looked like tiger dung.
A dog's sense of smell is so advanced that once it learns the scent of a particular explosive, it can pick it out even if the explosive is mixed with other chemicals.
Technically not a real insect, the CIA developed a robotic bug during the Cold War. Designed to look like a dragonfly, the device’s hovering nature meant it wouldn't evoke suspicion in most countries.
While they're not spies per se, dogs are used by police and militaries around the world to sniff out bombs and other explosive threats.
In the late 1960s, the CIA launched a project to train a red-tailed hawk to carry a camera and take photos of a Soviet strategic defense system. What the CIA didn't realize was that the red-tailed hawk is a protected species with restricted transport, so the project was ditched.
Norway's domestic intelligence agency launched an investigation and determined that the whale was likely part of a Russian research program.
In 2022, satellite imagery showed that the Russian Black Sea naval base had dispatched dolphins at the beginning of the Ukraine War. Experts suspect they were being used to prevent Ukranian special operations from infiltrating the harbor.
In the 1960s, the Soviet Union trained dolphins to search for underwater mines around naval bases.
A company called New Mexico Tech is reportedly developing a way to turn dead birds into flapping-wing drones to stealthily observe wildlife and, potentially, for military purposes
Dolphins have exceptional low-light vision and underwater directional hearing, making them adept at locating (potentially dangerous) objects underwater.
In the 1970s, the CIA developed underwater devices named Charlie and Charlene to collect water samples for detecting nuclear or biochemical agents. This effort was part of broader espionage activities aimed at monitoring environmental threats and covert operations.
In 2019, fishermen in northern Norway noticed a beluga whale wearing a camera harness.
In the 1960s, the CIA developed an operation to use cats as listening devices to gather information from the Soviet embassy in Washington.
In 2023, a pigeon fitted with a microchip and camera equipment was caught in East India. An investigation is still underway to determine whether it is a case of espionage.
Pigeons have been used as espionage tools since World War I. The birds were equipped with tiny cameras to provide satellite-like surveillance when they flew over enemy territory.
Pigeons were used during the Cold War to obtain information about the Soviet Union. Central Intelligence Agency agents trained the birds in a mission they named 'Operation Tacana' to take pictures of locations inside the Soviet Union.
Technically, they are not real birds, but in 2013, China released a flock of drone doves equipped with high-definition cameras and GPS signals. These drones were able to fly for 30 minutes to gather information for the Chinese government.
The project was called 'Operation Acoustic Kitty' and involved implanting a microphone in the cat's ear. However, cats are not easily trained, and during a test trial, the cat wandered away. The impracticality of the project led to it being called off.
Animals are commonly used in secret spy missions because they rarely draw attention. They can dart underfoot, access restricted areas, and often blend into their surroundings, making them ideal for covert operations.
An agent could place a message inside an object and leave it at a predetermined location for their colleague to retrieve. During the Cold War, the CIA used gutted rats as dead drops because they blended into the natural environment and were unlikely to be picked up by anyone.
At the beginning of September 2024, a beluga whale nicknamed Hvaldimir was found dead off the Norwegian coast. The whale, believed to have been fatally shot, was suspected of being a Russian spy.
Hvaldimir isn't the first animal to be involved in espionage; there have been numerous instances throughout history where creatures have been used in spy tasks. But why do militaries use animals? And what kinds of animals are used in these missions?
If you'd like to find out which animals have been used in secret spy operations, click through this gallery now.
Natural spies: Animals used in espionage
Throughout history, the military has used spy animals in its operations
LIFESTYLE War
At the beginning of September 2024, a beluga whale nicknamed Hvaldimir was found dead off the Norwegian coast. The whale, believed to have been fatally shot, was suspected of being a Russian spy.
Hvaldimir isn't the first animal to be involved in espionage; there have been numerous instances throughout history where creatures have been used in spy tasks. But why do militaries use animals? And what kinds of animals are used in these missions?
If you'd like to find out which animals have been used in secret spy operations, click through this gallery now.