Animals mistaken for spies...a number of animals have been falsely accused over the years...

[Surya Gayatri]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-23962379

Licensed to nibble

Egyptian authorities detained a stork last week on suspicion of espionage, mistaking its migration tag for spying equipment. In fact the stork was innocent - like a number of other animals falsely accused over the years of undercover work, writes Mohamed Madi.

In 2011, Saudi authorities arrested a high-flying vulture on suspicion that it was flying missions for Israel's notorious Mossad agency. And a spate of shark attacks near the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in 2010 was blamed by one TV station on GPS-controlled predators planted by Israel in order to harm the Egyptian tourism industry.

Iran has also felt threatened by animal agents. In 2007 the Iranian army arrested a team of 14 "spy squirrels" found near a nuclear enrichment plant. Officials said they succeeded in apprehending the suspects "before they were able to take any action".

However, not all reports of pets on patrol are as far-fetched as they seem. Animals have been serving in the military as early as 1908, when Germans first attached cameras to pigeons to take aerial photographs.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-23962379

[Clown is Down]

1. Hat tip to Gary Larson

[link:|

[Surya Gayatri]

2. Your reference must be funny, but I'm afraid I don't know who Gary Larson is...!

But, I do love that duck!

[Clown is Down]

3. Gary Larson use to do a wonderful strip called "The Far Side"

You should really check it out.

[Surya Gayatri]

7. Thanks for the tip...and welcome to DU!

[BlueToTheBone]

4. You've missed a lot!

Find Gary Larson...there are books of his cartoons The Far Side!

[darkangel218]

5. Damn..

Poor squee squirrels!!

[NuclearDem]

6. Ah, I see the Israelis finally figured that one simple request