The secret animal spies of the CIA

On September 14, the BBC reported that the CIA recently revealed details of their secret spy missions during the Cold War.

The first animal mentioned was the dove . The CIA uses this "spy" to photograph sensitive places inside Soviet territory.

At the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, there is a museum that is not open to the public. There, a dove attached to a camera was displayed. According to newly released records, the CIA used pigeons in an activity codenamed "Tacana" in the 1970s. They were fitted with tiny cameras with automatic image capture capabilities.

During World War II, a branch of British intelligence, MI14, also used pigeons to gather detailed information about the locations of German rocket launch and radar stations.

During the Cold War, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) used animals including crows to perform secret missions.(Photo: The News).

In addition to the pigeon, the CIA trains a raven to grab small objects weighing up to 40g from a window stand. They shone a laser to mark the target and a special lamp pulled the bird back.

Earlier, an operation conducted by the CIA called "Acoustic Kitty" involved placing wiretapping devices on a cat . In the 1960s, the CIA also used dolphins to perform underwater missions. In 1967, the CIA spent more than $ 600,000 on three programs involving dolphins, birds, dogs and cats. In particular, the pigeon proved to be most effective and by the mid-1970s, the CIA began to perform a series of experimental missions.

Pigeons are mounted with a camera worth USD 2,000, weighing 35g combined with a belt of less than 5g. Tests show that about half of the 140 images obtained are of good quality.

The dolphins are trained by the CIA to replace divers who place explosives on ships that are moored or moving, sneak into Soviet ports and leave missiles detectors or collect information from submarines. .

1. The advantage of animals knowing "spy"