Shifters / Marta Bogdanska [extrait / extract]

S H I F T E R S

Natural Born Agents

This chapter, the first in my book, shows a selection of articles from various media reporting stories on spy animals. A lot of these articles first get published in the Middle East and then republished by Western mainstream media such as BBC, The Independent, The Guardian. It presents a selection of stories from articles printed between 2005 and today.

This collection refers as well to the beginings of my project ‘Shifters’. It all started with me gathering news stories about nuclear lizards and suspicious squirrels arrested in Iran, photographer pigeon detained in India, a lone dolphin stopped in Lebanese waters, misidentified swan (in real life a stork) in Egypt, or other mysterious animals. There was an anecdotal ring to these stories but, as I was soon to discover, nothing was impossible in the long history of animals being used as agents in human affairs.

Internet Goes Wild After India Detains Pakistani Spy Pigeon

by Tasbeeh Herwees

Last week, Indian intelligence officials detained a pigeon they suspected of being a spy for the Pakistani government. According to the BBC, a 14-year-old boy spotted the bird, which had a message written on its feathers in the Urdu language. The bird had the misfortune of being found near Kashmir, territory over which both India and Pakistan claim ownership. Apparently, this is not the first time where police have had to take a pigeon into custody over suspicions of spying. “This is a rare instance of a bird from Pakistan being spotted here. We have caught a few spies here. The area is sensitive, given its proximity to Jammu, where infiltration is quite common,� a local police superintendent said to the Times of India.

Naturally, the internet responded with a deluge of pigeon-related memes.

Pakistani Twitter users started hashtag campaigns, #PigeonVSIndia and #IfIWereAPigeon, which were mostly used to mock the Indian intelligence officials for their actions against the bird.

Israeli ‘Spy’ in Sudan Turns Out to be Just a Bird A “spy” captured by Sudanese security troops turned out to be an eagle that Israeli nature officials were keeping track of Officials in the Darfur region of Sudan were proud to tell local media that they had seized an Israeli “spy” - in the form of an eagle that the Sudanese alleged was taking photos of the area and transmitting them to Israel. But that eagle was no spy, said Israeli officials – it was a rare bird that the Parks and Nature Authority is keeping track of, as part of a study to ensure the safety of eagles.

At a press conference earlier in the week, the mayor of the town of Krinkh, Hussein al-A’ali, displayed the eagle, along with a device upon which was written Hebrew text. Al-A’ali, along with Sudanese military officials, said that the device had been attached to the eagle, obviously for the purpose of spying on Sudan. The mayor demanded that the military take action to prevent future incidents of “Israeli spying.”

A group of Pakistani university students even developed an Android app inspired by the news item, a mobile game called Spy Pigeon Bird Shooting, in which users try to shoot down pigeons without being pooped on.

The Indian Express writes that there is precedent for this news story. In 2010, authorities detained another pigeon suspected of being a spy, but it was cleared of all charges.

Commenting on the story, a spokesperson for Israel’s Parks and Nature Authority confirmed that the device was indeed Israeli – but that it was a simple GPS device, which provides location information on the bird. “We have attached these devices to about 100 eagles,” the spokesperson said. “The GPS transmits the bird’s location. The device was made in Germany, and no modifications are made in Israel.” The birds, all of them from several rare species of eagles, are part of a worldwide study that tracks the flight pattern of the birds, in order to develop environments that will help the species to recover, among other goals.

It should be noted that the Sudanese opposition movement itself derided the government’s claim that it had found an Israeli “eagle spy.” On its web site, the “Movement for Justice and Equality in Sudan” said that the government had found “spy birds, but had missed many spy planes, which are much bigger.”

According to the Israeli official, there are at least four other “Israeli” eagles currently flying over Sudan. The eagles, which “commute” between Europe and Africa via Israel, can fly as far as 600 kilometers a day – and do not respect international borders.

Egyptian authorities detain suspected ‘spy’ bird TONY G. GABRIEL, Associated Press August 31, 2013

There, officers and the man puzzled over the electronic device attached to the suspected winged infiltrator. On Saturday, a veterinary committee called by concerned government officials determined the device was neither a bomb nor a spying device.

Instead, they discovered it was a wildlife tracker used by French scientists to follow the movement of migrating birds, said Ayman Abdallah, the head of Qena veterinary services. Abdallah said the device stopped working when the bird crossed the French border, absolving it of being an avian Mata Hari.

With turmoil gripping Egypt following the July 3 popularly backed military coup that overthrew the country’s president, authorities and citizens remain highly suspicious of anything foreign. Conspiracy theories easily find their ways into cafe discussion — as well as some media in the country.

Earlier this year, a security guard filed a police report after capturing a pigeon he said carried microfilm. A previous rumor in 2010 blamed a series of shark attacks along Egypt’s Mediterranean coast on an Israeli plot. It wasn’t.

In the bird’s case, even military officials ultimately had to deny the bird carried any spying devices. They spoke Saturday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to journalists.

Yet later, the state-run daily newspaper Al-Ahram quoted Kamal as saying the incident showed the patriotism of the man who captured the bird in the first place.

The bird remains caged for now, as Abdallah said authorities must receive permission from prosecutors to release the animal.

But one mystery still remains: Abdallah and others called the bird a swan.

Photographs obtained by The Associated Press showed what appeared to be a stork locked behind bars in the police station.

CAIRO (AP) — In a case that ruffled feathers in Egypt, authorities have detained a migratory bird that a citizen suspected of being a spy.

A man in Egypt’s Qena governorate, some 450 kilometers (280 miles) southeast of Cairo, found the suspicious bird among four others near his home and brought them to a police station Friday, said Mohammed Kamal, the head of the security in the region.

Iran arrests pigeons ‘spying’ on nuclear site

By Our Foreign Staff 3:55PM BST, 20 Oct 2008 Iranian security forces have arrested two suspected ‘spy pigeons’ near the Natanz nuclear facility.

A migrating stork is held in a police station after a citizen suspected it of being a spy and brought it to the authorities in the Qena governorate, some 450 kilometers (280 miles) southeast of Cairo, Egypt. Officials say the man suspected the bird was an undercover agent because it carried an electronic device. (AP Photo)

Plotting a coo? There has been no indication of the pigeons’ likely fate. Photo: PA

One of the pigeons was caught near a rose water production plant in the city of Kashan in Isfahan province, the Etemad Melli newspaper reported. It said that some metal rings and “invisible” strings were attached to the bird, suggesting that it might have been somehow communicating what it had seen with the equipment it was carrying.

“Early this month, a black pigeon was caught bearing a blue-coated metal ring, with invisible strings,” a source told the newspaper.

The source gave no further description of the pigeons, nor what their fate might be.

Natanz is home to Iran’s heavily-bunkered underground uranium enrichment plant, which is also not far from Kashan.

The activity at Iran’s controversial uranium enrichment facility is the focus of Iran’s five-year standoff with the West, which fears it aims to develop nuclear weapons. The Tehran government insists its programme is intended to generate power for civilian use only.

Are these animals spies? This one was behind bars.

PRI’s The World January 28, 2016, 3:45 PM EST

By Austin Federa

Last year, Iran issued a formal protest over the use of espionage by the United States to produce a key intelligence report on the country’s controversial nuclear programme.

It is also highly suspicious of Israel, whose extensive intelligence activities are not known to include the use of pigeons.

A Griffon Vulture is seen at the veterinary clinic at the Ramat Gan Safari Zoo, near Tel Aviv January 29, 2016. The vulture from an Israeli nature reserve with an Israeli identification ring and location transmitter was captured by residents of the south Lebanese town of Bint Jbeilon on suspicion of espionage after flying across the border. Credit: Baz Ratner/Reuters

A strange bit of news made its way out of the Middle East this week. Lebanon had detained a griffon vulture on suspicion of espionage. The bird was tagged for tracking by Tel Aviv University, but the GPS transmitter apparently raised suspicion this Mossad agent bird was up to no good.

Strange as it might seem, this is hardly the first time an animal has been accused of spying, let alone an Israeli animal.

‘Invisible strings’ and ‘blue rings’ land a pigeon in Iranian heavy water

Spy Duck detained in Egypt — actually stork (actually not spy)

Iran arrested two pigeons hanging around a uranium enrichment plant in 2008.

They gave a confusing description of birds “bearing a blue-coated metal ring, with invisible strings,” declining to provide any additional details. They claim the rings and strings are some sort of communication device. No word on which country the birds are loyal to. The pigeon’s whereabouts are unknown.

Several alert Egyptian citizens alerted authorities to what was reported as a ‘spy duck’ with a surveillance device, or bomb, on its back. Authorities arrested the bird, a French research subject. When a veterinarian established the device was, in fact, a tracker, and the bird was, in fact, a stork, police moved to release the bird. The stork’s whereabouts are unknown, but last anyone heard, the stork was waiting for the prosecutor to sign off on its release. But that’s not the strangest animal accusation Egypt has made...

‘Suspicious’ tail numbers lead to pigeon’s arrest in India A pigeon with numbers on its tail was captured by Indian police on suspicion it was working for Pakistan. Police x-rayed the poor bird, booking it as a “suspected spy” according to The Guardian. “Nothing adverse has been found, but we have kept the bird in our custody,” senior police superintendent Rakesh Kaushal told local media. The pigeon’s whereabouts are unknown.

Iran cracks nutty ‘spy squirrel’ ring In 2007, Iran took hostage 14 foreign squirrels who were attempting to infiltrate the country with ‘spy gear,’ according to state news, though no photos were ever released. As a former CIA agent told NPR, “No, it’s complete idiocy.

You can’t use squirrels for espionage.” The squirrel’s whereabouts are unknown.

Israel’s Mossad accused of attacking Egypt with sharks.

Summer of 2010 saw some fairly high-profile shark attacks in Egypt, including the death of a German tourist. Instead of accepting that sharks live in the sea, the regional governor suggested the Mossad was behind the shark attack as a form of economic warfare against Egypt. The shark’s whereabouts are unknown.

Dolphin ‘stripped of its will’ and turned into ‘a murderer’ by Israel seized

by Hamas In another case of Israel supposedly coopting wildlife, a dolphin was acting fishy off Gaza, and attracted the attention of Hamas’s Qassam Brigade Naval Commandos. Upon investigating, they found what was described as “a murderer” of a dolphin, equipped with a surveillance package. As usual, no photos of the dolphin nor its equipment were released. The dolphin’s whereabouts are unknown.

Sudan captures Israeli ‘spy bird’ — actually just a bird In 2012 another bird tagged for research by an Israeli university was captured, this time in Sudan. Again, it was found to be, well, a bird, and sent on its way.

At the time, Israel was ‘operating’ at least four other birds in the skies above Sudan. The vulture’s whereabouts are unknown.

Why These Animals Were Accused of Being International Spies

Firuzabadi’s comments came after being asked about a group of environmentalists under arrest since late January. According to the Times of Israel, a local Iranian news agency quoted Firuzabadi as saying that, in the environmentalists’ possession, they found lizards and chameleons. Allegedly these were deployed to find where Iran was mining and developing uranium.

By Sarah Gibbens PUBLISHED February 14, 2018

The lizards’ skin, Firuzabadi said, was capable of attracting atomic waves. The espionage effort, he added, had failed.

It’s unclear how or why Firuzabadi reached this conclusion, but this alleged attempt would have failed regardless because lizard skin isn’t capable of absorbing measurable atomic waves, say scientists. Further, as cold-blooded animals, the lizards likely would not have sought out cool, dark caves. (Although these cave-dwelling crocs may be becoming a new species.)

It’s not the first time animals have been accused of spying—not by a longshot.

Read on for more surprising examples.

From lizards to dolphins, these animals have been accused of espionage.

Scavenging for Intel In 2016, a large griffin vulture with a six-foot wingspan crossed the Israeli border into Lebanon. When the bird was caught by local villagers, it was found to be wearing a small tracking device on its foot. The locals suspected the animal was being used to spy on them.

The real reason the vulture was wearing a tracker? It was part of a program to repopulate raptors in the Middle East and had been living at the Israeli Gamla Nature Reserve. According to the BBC, it was eventually returned to its home after UN peacekeepers intervened.

An Israeli vulture was also detained in 2011 by the Saudi Arabian government.

That griffin vulture was wearing a GPS tag owned by the University of Tel Aviv, which was studying the endangered bird’s movement patterns.

Squirrely Behavior Chameleons were among the lizards accussed of spying on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Photograph by Michael Nichols, Nat Geo Image Collection

Deep within uranium mines, lizards were lurking around, attracting atomic waves and delivering intel on the Iranian government.

Or at least that’s the narrative Iranian military advisor Hassan Firuzabadi told media outlets earlier this week.

Iran isn’t a stranger to alleging animal espionage. In 2007, they detained 14 squirrels that local news agencies said were equipped with spying equipment.

Allegedly, the squirrels had some sort of small recording or radio device that was used for eavesdropping.

At the time, national police confirmed they were aware of the story, but did not divulge more information about where they thought the squirrels came from or what happened to them.

NPR interviewed a former CIA agent, and wildlife professor John Koprowski, who were both extremely skeptical that squirrels could be trained for such a purpose.

A Few Good Dolphins While lizards, vultures, and squirrels are more outlandish accusations of animal spies, some may not be as far-fetched.

In 2015, Hamas—a Palestinian political organization that the U.S. State Department has accused of terrorism—claimed they apprehended a dolphin that was spying for Israeli forces.

The Times of Israel reported allegations that the dolphin was outfitted with spying equipment, including but not limited to cameras.

The details of that story remain murky, but it’s indisputable that dolphins have been used in military tactics a number of times over the years.

In 2014, when Russia took over Crimea and infiltrated a Ukrainian military unit, they found several “combat dolphins.” The marine mammals were believed to be used to find underwater targets like mines or to block intruders from entering restricted areas.

In the 1960s, the U.S. Navy ran a similar program. Speaking with National Geographic in 2014, a representative from the marine mammal research program at the University of Hawaii said that the U.S. has not only used dolphins as guards, but the animals are also highly skilled at detecting underwater mines.

Dolphins’ echolocation is so precise, they’ve even been used in lieu of machines.

Lebanon returns Israeli vulture cleared of spying 30 January 2016 A huge vulture detained in Lebanon on suspicion of spying for Israel has been returned home after UN peacekeepers intervened, Israeli officials said.

The bird, which has a 1.9m (6ft 5in) wing span, flew over the border from an Israeli game reserve and was caught by Lebanese villagers on Tuesday.

They became suspicious as the griffon vulture had a tracking device attached to its tail.

It is part of a conservation project to reintroduce raptors to the Middle East.

Wildlife officials say the vulture was brought from Spain last year and set free about a month ago in the Gamla Nature Reserve in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Tel Aviv University is involved in tracking the bird, and as well as a GPS transmitter, it had tags on its wings and an engraved metal ring on its leg saying: “Tel Aviv Univ Israel”.

‘Discreet operation’ Wildlife officials in Israel were alerted to its capture when photos of the tied-up bird appeared on social media.

AFP The vulture is now being treated at a wildlife clinic near Tel Aviv for minor injuries

“In a discreet operation with the Lebanese and with the great help of UN forces and the UN liaison unit, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority was able to return the vulture that was caught a few days ago by villagers of Bint Jbeil, Lebanon,” an Israeli statement released on Friday said.

The Lebanese media says the villagers freed the vulture after it became clear it was not on a spying mission.

After its ordeal the bird was weak and was being treated for minor injuries, officials said.

It is not the first time a griffon vulture has been taken to be an agent of the Israeli spy agency Mossad.

Saudi Arabia captured one, also with a Tel Aviv University tracker, in the desert city of Hyaal in 2011, sparking rumours of a “Zionist plot” that were dismissed

by Israeli officials.

EPA/MOTI DOLEV/ISRAEL NATURE AND PARKS AUTHORITY Image caption The UN acted as a go-between in negotiations with the Lebanese and Gamla Nature Reserve

Shark ‘sent to Egypt by Mossad’

By Nick Collins 9:28AM GMT, 07 Dec 2010 An Egyptian official has claimed that a shark that killed one person and left four others injured in Egypt could have been placed there by agents from Mossad, the Israeli spy agency.

The comments, reported in The Sun, came after officials were criticised for reopening the beach at Sharm el Sheikh following the initial attacks, the day before a German snorkeller was killed by the shark.

Zuhair Garana, the tourism minister, said before the incident: “Diving is being allowed. We are advised that sharks will not attack divers. I cannot say that deep waters are completely secure but shallow waters are 100 per cent safe.”

Tourism firms Thomson and First Choice have cancelled all planned boat trips and watersports, and advised customers not to go into the sea.

The shark suspected of carrying out the attacks was identified yesterday in photographs taken minutes before one of the previous attacks.

Scientists claimed its aggression against humans could be down to sensory damage, leaving it unable to tell the difference between humans and fish.

This is the shark suspected of being responsible for the attacks in Egypt, which killed a German woman and left four others seriously injured.

Mohamed Abdel Fadil Shousha, the regional governor, claimed it was not “out of the question” that Israel could have planned the attacks on tourists to dent the Egyptian economy.

He said: “What is being said about the Mossad throwing the deadly shark in the sea to hit tourism in Egypt is not out of the question. But it needs time to confirm.”

Shark attacks not linked to Mossad says Israel

Can Squirrels Spy for People? Iran Thinks So

By Yolande Knell BBC News, Jerusalem 7 December 2010

July 20, 20074:00 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered

Israel has dismissed Egyptian claims that a series of shark attacks in the Red Sea could have been the result of a plot carried out by its foreign intelligence agency, Mossad. The reports - apparently quoting the South Sinai governor have been picked up by the Israeli media.

Iranian news agencies this week reported the capture of 14 squirrels equipped with espionage systems along the border.

An elderly woman was killed by a shark in the Egyptian resort of Sharm elSheikh on Sunday. Several other swimmers have been mauled in the past week. Conspiracy theories are always popular in the Middle East, with unlikely suggestions often made that troubles in Arab countries could be caused by Mossad agents.

Rumours had circulated in Egypt that there could be an Israeli connection to this unusual spate of Red Sea shark attacks. However, it was comments attributed to the South Sinai governor, Mohamed Abdul Fadil Shousha, carried on an official Egyptian news site that drew attention.

“What is being said about the Mossad throwing the deadly shark [in the sea] to hit tourism in Egypt is not out of the question, but it needs time to confirm,” he is reported to have said. The Jerusalem Post picked up on the story - quoting Israeli officials who rejected the notion as “ludicrous”.

Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Igal Palmor then told the BBC: “The man must have seen Jaws one time too many, and confuses fact and fiction.” It has also been pointed out that visitors to Israel as well as Egypt might be alarmed by the shark attacks.

Israel has its own holiday resorts on the Red Sea coast, and Sharm el-Sheikh is popular with its citizens.

Robert Baer, who worked for the CIA in Iran, intelligence expert James Bamford and wildlife professor John Koprowski, who co-authored the book North American Tree Squirrels, discuss historical attempts to use animals in intelligence gathering and the likelihood that the U.S. or any other country could count on squirrels to retrieve any useful information.

Discipline & Punish.

Police Dog

Over 16 million animals served in the First World War. They were used for transport, communication and companionship. Animals were trained for different roles intended for them in war. All sorts of behavioural studies, training methods and disciplines were applied.

In 1914, all armies had large cavalry forces.

Horse and camel-mounted troops were used in the desert campaigns throughout the war.

Animals remained a crucial part of the war effort. Horses, donkeys, mules and camels carried food, water, ammunition and medical supplies to men at the front, and dogs and pigeons carried messages. Canaries were used to detect poisonous gas, and cats and dogs were trained to hunt rats in the trenches.

Animals were not only used for work. Dogs, cats, and more unusual animals including monkeys, bears and lions, were kept as pets and mascots to raise morale and provide comfort amidst the hardships of war.

Military animals are trained animals that are used in warfare and other combat related activities. Different military animals serve different functions. Horses, elephants, camels, and other animals have been used for both transportation and mounted attack. Pigeons were used for communication and photographic espionage. Many other animals have been reportedly used in various specialized military functions, including rats and pigs. Dogs have long been employed in a wide variety of military purposes, more recently focusing on guarding and bomb detection, and along with dolphins and sea lions are in active use today. Other animals were trained for transport and hauling, and as well as weapons or living bombs.

One way of training was for dogs to become members of Red Cross. The story of the Great War dogs began with Major Edwin Richardson, a former soldier whose family had always worked with dogs.

Richardson recognised very early that our canine friends could play a useful role during a war, and spent years perfecting his training techniques. But progress wasn’t smooth. When the First World War broke out, the British Army initially refused his offer of help. (The Red Cross, however, was much more interested and gratefully took a number of specially trained hounds.) Once the dogs started producing results, the Army quickly realised its mistake and asked Richardson to set up an official training school for war dogs. The four-legged first aiders had arrived. Richardson quickly realised that all the animals would have to be trained under realistic battle conditions. A visiting journalist at his training school recounted: “Shells from batteries at practice were screaming overhead, and army motor lorries passed to and from. The dogs are trained to the constant sound of the guns and very soon learn to take no heed of them.” Realism was all-important. Richardson even paid unemployed locals to go and lie ‘injured’ in the woods so the trainee dogs could practice finding them. The level of sophistication in the dogs’ training was jawdropping. They were trained to ignore dead bodies.

They could understand a huge range of hand signals.

They uncomplainingly wore restrictive gas masks.

They were also taught to distinguish between British military uniforms and those of the enemy.

It was a long and exhaustive process, but worth it.

Because once the dogs were fully trained, what they achieved on the battlefield was incredible.

The retrieval method was eventually replaced when it became apparent that the dogs would occasionally rip off a bandage in their eagerness to return with something from the wounded soldier.

Some Red Cross societies trained the dogs to return to their handler with an attached leash in their mouth to signify the discovery of a wounded soldier. Red Cross dogs did more than just locate wounded soldiers, they provided messenger and delivery services, often carrying 25 to 30 pound packs of ammunition and rations through dangerous territory. These dogs also acted as scouts and guarded strategic posts, such as weapons factories.

Dogs have been used by law enforcement agencies for over 100 years. The English used bloodhounds while searching for Jack the Ripper in 1888, and during that time they allowed canines to accompany police on patrol. In 1899, in Ghent, Belgium, police started formally training dogs for police work. This enhanced the popularity of using dogs for police work. By 1910, Germany had police dogs in over 600 of their largest cities. In 1938, South London introduced two specially trained Labrador Retrievers to the Metropolitan Police Force to accompany policemen on patrol.

In the 1970’s the use of dogs in law enforcement took a foothold in the United States. Now they are considered a part of the police force, and in many departments they even have their own badges.

From the hundreds of dog breeds, there are some that are widely known for their presence in law enforcement. The most widely trained dog for regular patrol work is the German Shepherd. Other breeds include the Labrador Retriever, Belgian Malinois, and the Dutch Shepherd. Certain breeds have been used for special purposes, such as detecting illegal drugs or explosives, and tracking fugitives or missing persons.

Hero Life

Probably the most famous war dog, Stubby was found as a stray on the Yale campus in 1917, adopted by soldiers of the 102nd Infantry Regiment and smuggled to France during WWI. He participated in 17 battles and four offenses. He also used his keen senses to warn his unit of poison-gas attacks, incoming artillery fire, and to locate wounded soldiers on the battlefield. His senses were also put to good use when he sniffed out and apprehended a German spy in the trenches. He was trained to raise his paw in salute.

Sergeant Major Jiggs was the original Marine Corps bulldog mascot. His owner was Maj. General Smedley Butler. Jiggs began his career in 1922 as a private and advanced through the ranks to reach E-9.

Sinbad, the Chief Dog, was an enlisted member of the U.S. Coast Guard for 11 years and saw combat during World War II. He served on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter George W. Campbell. His handler originally intended to give the dog to his girlfriend as a gift, but soon discovered she wouldn’t be able to keep him. The only way to keep the dog on board was to enlist him, so Sinbad’s pawprint was stamped onto his own unique set of enlistment papers, and he became an official member of the crew. He had his own Red Cross and service ID, his own bunk, and even a service record. He had a thing for whiskey, which got him demoted and disciplined every once in a while.

Chips was a Collie/German Sherpard/Siberian Husky who saw his share of action in Germany, France, North Africa, and Sicily. Among the animal’s heroic exploits are his attack on an Italian machine gun nest and helping take 10 enemy Italian soldiers captive.

YMCA had a Cigarette Dog delivery service during WW1. Mutt a “trench runner’ Frenchie delivered cigarettes and gave his friendship to the sol diers. Mutt was wounded twice and spent most of WW1

boosting morale of the 11th Engineers brigade, carrying cartons of cigarettes for the troops. When the wars would end the mascots were usually left behind but Mutt was fortunately smuggled on board.

When he was discovered and under threat of being thrown overboard his saviour said they’d have to throw him overboard also. Mutt returned safely to New York.

Judy was a pointer born in 1937 and became the mascot of the British Royal Navy at a young age. In 1942, her ship was attacked by bombers and forced to land on a nearby island that had little food and no apparent water sources. Judy disappeared for two days, but when she reappeared, she immediately started digging on the coastline and uncovered a fresh water spring, saving the lives of crew sodiers. Judy was given the Dickin Medal in 1946.

Bamse, a very heroic dog, whose name means “teddy bear” in Norwegian, eventually became a symbol for Norwegian freedom during WWII. After the Nazis invaded Norway, Bamse’s ship was one of only 13 Norwegian naval vessels that managed to escape to the UK. The dog once pushed an attacker holding a knife into the sea, saving the life of a lieutenant commander. On another occasion, she jumped off the boat and dragged a sailor, who had fallen overboard, back to shore.

Smoky was a Yorkshire terrier who was found in a fox hole in New Guinea. She was included in a dozen combat missions and survived more than 150 air raids. Apart from that Smoky entertained troops with a variety of tricks. The dog died on February 21, 1957 at 14 years old.

Just Nuisance was a South African Great Dane, who was the first and only member of the Royal Navy.

He got his name as a pup by wagging his injured tail so enthusiastically that everyone was covered in blood spatters. Nuisance was a massive dog, at more than six and a half feet standing up.

Rags was a mixed breed terrier who became the mascot of the US 1st Infantry Division during WWI. He learned to run messages between the headquarters and the front lines. He provided early warning of incoming shells. Rags achieved war dog fame when he saved many lives in the Meuse-Argonne Campaign by delivering a vital message despite being bombed, gassed, and partially blinded. Despite the wounds he lived a long life, passing away at the age of 20.

Horrie was the unofficial mascot of the 21st Machine Gun Battalion of the Second Australian Imperial Force. He was befriended by a soldier serving in the unit when it was stationed in Egypt during the Second World War. The dog subsequently followed the battalion throughout various locations in the Middle East and in Greece and Crete, before being smuggled back to Australia in 1942.

The Go-Between

Homing pigeons have long played an important role in war. Due to their homing ability, speed and altitude, they were often used as military messengers. Carrier pigeons of the Racing Homer breed were used to carry messages in World War I and World War II, and 32 such pigeons were presented with the Dickin Medal. They stopped being used as of 1957.

The pigeon carried messages in a tiny capsule attached to their leg. The capsules could contain messages, blood samples, or even tiny cameras. Often these carrier pigeons were the only form of communication during World War II. They were also the most secure and reliable. Homing pigeons were least likely to be intercepted. More than 95% of the messages they carried were successfully delivered. Approximately 56,000 carrier pigeons were trained for war missions in World War II. The pigeons’ average speed was 50 miles per hour and their average flight distance was 25 miles, although they could travel up to 2,000 miles.

Super famous pigeon, “Cher Ami”, was donated

by Brtish to the U.S. Signal Corps in France. On her last mission she lost her foot and one eye, but her message got through. She delivered twelve important messages within the American sector at Verdun; on her last mission, October 4, 1918, she was shot through the breast and leg by enemy fire but still managed to return to her loft with a message capsule dangling from the wounded leg. The message Cher Ami carried was from Major Charles S. Whittlesey’s “Lost Battalion” of the Seventy Infantry Division that had been isolated from other American forces. The message brought about the relief of the 194 battalion survivors, and they were safe behind American lines shortly after the message was received. Cher Ami made it back to the United States.

On June 13th, 1919, Cher Ami died at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. Cher Ami’s body was preserved and presented to the American Government with honor.

Winkie was a pigeon who won the Dickin Medal in 1943 for assisting in the rescue of an aircrew forced to ditch in the North Sea during WWII. After they were rescued, the officers held a dinner for Winkie, who rejoiced in her cage as she was toasted by the officers.

All Alone was a war pigeon decorated for his bravery in service in the second World War for delivering a secret message, in one day, over a distance of 400 miles, while serving with the National Pigeon Service. He helped warn the British Military of a secret paramilitary group to conduct assassinations, round up Jews for deportation, and to attack the French Resistance.

Peerless Pilot was one of the most celebrated naval messengers. Beginning at only 15 months old, Peerless delivered nearly 200 messages during the last year of the war.

President Wilson was a military carrier pigeon and was assigned to an infantry unit conducting operations near Grandpré during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. On the morning of Oct. 5, 1918, his unit came under attack, and Wilson was deployed to send a message that the unit needed artillery support. Wilson was hit several times, losing a leg and suffering a wound to his chest, but he managed to deliver the message in a record 25 minutes.

Surviving his wounds, Wilson was retired and sent to the U.S. Army Signal Corps Breeding and Training Center at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, where he would live another eleven years. After his death, Wilson was taxidermied and presented to the Smithsonian Institution before being transferred to the custody of the U.S. Army in 2008.

Another of those celebrity pigeons was named G.I. Joe. He carried a message to cancel a bombing mission and saved the lives of about 1,000 Allied troops.