Meet 5 animals that have been accused of spying

Throughout history, various species of animals have been “summoned” by the armies of their countries to collaborate in turbulent times. By the way, it's no secret that many pets are still being trained to serve their homelands! The odd thing is that every once in a while, one creature or another gets caught and accused of espionage, and then you can check out five unusual cases:

1 - Terrorist Sharks

In 2010, at the famous Sharm el-Sheikh resort, located on the shores of the Red Sea in Egypt, several shark attacks on tourists worried everyone. However, the incidents also led the Egyptian authorities to suspect that the fish had been trained by the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service.

According to the rumors, the animals had been brought to the region for the purpose of scaring off tourists. The Israelis, in turn, denied any involvement with the attacks and explained that they also had Red Sea resorts, meaning that they could also be harmed by the presence of the animals.

2 - Suspicious Falcon

About four years ago, a hawk carrying a small camera was found dead on the tumultuous border between India and Pakistan. The Indians were the first to lay hands on the bird's corpse and soon raised suspicions that the late bird had been trained by Pakistanis to keep an eye on Indian Army troops conducting training in the area.

However, after investigating the case, the Indians found that it was too simple a camera - not one that would be used by the intelligence services - and concluded that the alleged "secret agent" probably belonged to Pakistani hunters.

3 - Sneaky Vulture

In early 2016, a huge vulture was captured by frightened peasants while flying over a village in Lebanon. The bug - which was almost 2 meters in height - raised suspicion of being equipped with a tail tracking device and was charged with espionage.

The captors thought the bird had been trained by the Israelis to probe Lebanese territory. However, the poor animal was part of an effort led by Tel Aviv University in Israel, in partnership with institutions in other countries, to reintroduce raptors in the Middle East. Luckily, the peasants became convinced that the vulture had no bad intentions and returned the animal safely.

4 - Watchful Dolphin

In mid-2015, Hamas - the Palestinian fundamentalist group - announced that it had captured an Israeli-trained spy dolphin in the coastal Gaza region. According to the militants, the animal had been equipped with cameras and other spy devices, and Israel chose not to respond to the accusations.

However, while the dolphin story sounds crazy, it's worth remembering that the US Navy has a program focused on training these animals - but not for the bad! Dolphins are trained to identify potential threats under the sea and to locate mines.

5 - Stalking squirrels

As absurd as it may seem, in 2007, the Iranians announced that the country's intelligence service had dismantled a spy cell made up of - get ready for it! - 14 squirrels.

The rodents were reportedly discovered near the Iranian border and equipped with listening devices. All members of the spy network were taken into custody by the police, and unfortunately we do not know what end the pets led to.

Bonus

Napoleonic monkey

In the 19th century, England and France became involved in a series of conflicts known as the "Napoleonic Wars." Legend has it that one of the battles ended with a French ship sinking near the British port city of Hartlepool and, to the surprise of the local population, who hoped to take the survivors as prisoners, the vessel was occupied only by a little monkey wearing military uniform.

Instead of making fun of the “costumed” little animal, the inhabitants of Hartlepool accused the monkey of being a spy and subjected him to lengthy interrogation. Obviously, no one could pull a word out of it - and the poor thing was taken to court and sentenced to death by hanging.

* Posted on 2/25/2016