Whale, dead rat, cat or pigeon: Which animal is the best spy?

Hvaldimir, a beluga thought to have been a Russian spy, is dead. Hvaldimir, a white beluga whale thought to have been used as a Russian spy, was found dead last weekend under what animal rights organisations say were suspicious circumstances in Norway near Russian waters while wearing a harness. Yet, while the cause of the whale’s death is not clear, and — like the best secret agents — Hvaldimir never left any firm evidence to confirm whether he was a spy, his story is only the latest in a long history of nations using animals as spooks. According to a British intelligence report last year, Russia created a mammal programme to train dolphins to detect and “counter” enemy divers at its Sevastopol Black Sea fleet naval base in Crimea. The best spies: The winner is … But while cats and dead rats might have their advantages, spy agencies have over the years returned — time and again — to an age-old cadre of agents: pigeons.