Why Pakistan's 'pigeon spy' must not ruffle India's feathers

The arrest of pigeon "spy" in Punjab has caused a furore. While the pigeon was suspected of being a spy, the social media erupted into numerous debates. Pakistani newspaper Dawn published a satirical piece on the whole incident, taking a dig at Research& Analysis Wing, India's premier intelligence agency. But history says that this is not the first time such a bizarre incident has happened. There are various instances of animals and birds being detained on account of spying. Here are some of them:

1. First spy pigeon in India (2010): This is not the first time a pigeon has been suspected of being a spy. In 2010, a white coloured pigeon was captured by residents of a border town in Amritsar and a Pakistani address was stamped on it.

It was detained by the police on account of suspicion for a few days and underwent examination. After nothing was found, it was handed over to wildlife authorities.

2. Indian spy monkey arrested in Pakistan: Yes, you read that right. In 2011, a monkey was arrested by authorities in Cholistan area of Bahawalpur district in Pakistan, who came all the way from India. After spotting the monkey, the locals tried to catch him but were unable to do so, post which local authorities intervened and arrested him.

Later, he was sent to Bahawalpur zoo and named "Bobby".

3. Israeli vulture in Saudi Arabia: In 2011, Saudi Arabia detained a vulture on accusations of being a spy for Israel. Suspicion arose after the vulture was found carrying a GPS transmitter bearing the name of Tel Aviv University, prompting rumours that it was part of a zionist plot.

Locals captured the vulture and handed it over to the authorities.

4. Spy squirrels in Iran: In 2007, Iranian intelligence operatives detained over a dozen squirrels found within the nation's borders on the claim that they were serving as spies for Western powers to destabilize Iran and were carrying spy gear of foreign agencies.

5. Stork Spy, Egypt: A stork was arrested in Egypt in 2013 on charges of espionage. The bird was put behind bars after a man fishing in the Nile spotted an electronic device attached to its feathers. After nothing was found, the stork was released. Within days of its release, it was killed and eaten.

While these were instances of animals and birds arrested on just suspicion, there have been actual instances of them being used as real spies by intelligence agencies and governments throughout history:

1. Anti-tank dogs: Anti-tank dogs were used by the Soviet Union during World War II to fight German tanks. Dogs with explosives harnessed to their backs were trained to seek food under tanks.

When a dog was underneath the vehicle, the detonator would go off, triggering an explosion.

2. Spy cats: During the Cold War, the CIA attempted to transform an ordinary domestic cat into a sophisticated bugging device as part of Operation Acoustic Kitty. The project began in 1961 when the CIA implanted a battery and a microphone into a cat and turned its tail into an antenna. The CIA drove the cat to a Soviet compound on Wisconsin Avenue in Washington DC and let it out of a parked van across the street. The cat walked into the road and was immediately hit by a taxi.

Operation Acoustic Kitty was announced a failure and then abandoned in 1967.

3. Bats as bombs: The US military began developing these "bat bombs" in the early 1940s, but the first test went awry when the bats set fire to an Air Force base. After the accident, the project was handed to the Navy, which completed a successful experiment in which bats were released over a mock-up of a Japanese city.

An estimated $2 million was spent on the project.

4. Dolphin spy: Dolphins have been serving in the US Navy for more than 40 years as part of the Navy's Marine Mammal Program, and they were extensively used during the Vietnam War and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

If a dolphin finds an intruder, then it touches a sensor on the boat to alert its handler, and the handler then places a strobe light or noisemaker on the dolphin's nose.