A professor a university in Norway believes a beluga whale that was found the Arctic Ocean Norway's northernmost point could be part Russia's spy network. Local residents reported that the beluga was extremely tame and enjoyed being petted. Professor Audun Rikardsen said the creature was fitted a harness and mount for a spy camera. He said: "It is most likely that the Russian Navy Murmansk was involved." However, news images show there is "Equipment St. Petersburg" written on the harness in English. A local said: "The talk in this hamlet is that it could have escaped a Russian military facility or could have swum from St. Petersburg, Florida, because the English-language text."
There is much speculation online as to where the whale came . Journalists are asking whether it came from whale and dolphin training facilities St. Petersburg, Florida. The U.S. Navy is known to use dolphins to help divers military missions. A Russian naval analyst, Mikhail Barabanov, downplayed any links the beluga might have the Russian military. He said: "Even if there are military programs using marine animals for navy purposes, they are unlikely to be belugas." A Russian military official agreed. He told the BBC: "If we were using this animal spying, do you really think we'd attach a mobile phone number the message 'please call this number?'"
