Russia Training Real Seals to Carry Guns, 'Neutralize Spies'

Scientists in Russia are grooming male and female seals to tote high-powered firearms, guard military installations and even kill enemy spies.

The unique program to train the highly-intelligent sea mammals is underway at the Murmansk Institute of Marine Biological Diversity, reports Tass, the official Russian news agency.

"The animals can already be used for guarding facilities, helping in emergency situations, research work and other fields," Dmitry Ishkulov, the institute's deputy director general, told Tass.

The current students are five seal pups — males Kombat and Fes and females Selena, Tabita and Shlepa — who were abandoned by their mothers. They're trained mainly with treats like fish, shellfish and sea urchins.

"Seals are taught to climb into boxes, to swim after boats, to get onboard, to fetch objects from the sea bottom and to wear harness with scientific devices, cameras and flashlights," Tass said.

The seals inspect underwater pipelines and mark any leaks, search for people underwater, act as security guards and "can even neutralize spies," the news agency said without providing additional detail.

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