Baby Beluga in the deep blue sea
Working for the Russian Navy
Norwegian fishermen were surprised to find a beluga whale that was incredibly friendly to humans on one of their trips. But that wasn’t the remarkable part. The remarkable part was that this incredibly human-friendly whale was wearing a harness.
To the fishermen, though, the harness seemed like it was a bit too tight for the little guy. So, when some scientists later tracked down the whale based on the fishermen’s account, they endeavored to remove it, with a little help from some treats. And while the treats were effective, they were unable to actually get the harness off until a few of them dove into the ocean with it. And when they finally got the harness off, the scientists found the words “Equipment of St. Petersburg” on it.
Which led to belief that this beluga was just the most recent in a long line of (occasionally stupid) military animal experiments. Mostly down to the fact that the harness had an attachment point for what would probably be a GoPro camera. But also, due to the fact that the scientists in question rang up some of their contemporaries in Russia.
I have been in contact with some Russian researchers and they can confirm that there is nothing they are doing. They tell me that most likely is the Russian Navy in Murmansk.
Audun Rikardsen, professor at Norwegian Arctic University in Tromsø
To be far, there is a long history in the use of animals in warfare. But there’s really only one I know of involved in spycraft, and that would be Acoustic Kitty. Which wasn’t half as effective as the idea of a whale with a GoPro. Then again, that whale’s nowhere near as likely to eavesdrop on a conversation between subversive elements, so… eh, it all evens out, I guess.
Source: Gizmodo
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