Is this Beluga Whale a Russian Spy? Secret Agent Animals - Behind the News

BELUGA WHALE FOUND WITH HARNESS
Over in Norway, officials have trapped and caught a beluga whale that was found swimming in the ocean off the coast.
A fisherman in Norway spotted it and noticed it was wearing a harness.
The harness says “Equipment St. Petersburg”, which is a city in Russia, and there's a spot on the harness where you could hook up a camera.
Norwegian authorities reckon the whale could have come from the Russian Navy.
Animals have actually been used as spies for centuries, from ancient Greece all the way through to the First and Second World Wars.
Pigeons and ravens were used to deliver messages, and even today a retired colonel from Russia says his country trains dolphins to attack enemy divers and attach explosives to the bottom of foreign ships.
This beluga is probably not a spy.
It could have escaped a research facility, or the harness could've been tracking its migration.
Norwegian authorities managed to get the harness off, and now it's free to hang out in the ocean all day long and hopefully not enact any plans for world domination.
1 IN 5 KIDS DON’T GET ENOUGH EXERCISE
Sitting down and doing not much night seem pretty harmless, but it's actually sparked something experts are calling an "inactivity crisis."
According to Sport Australia's annual AusPlay survey, only 1 in 5 Aussie kids are getting the recommended 1 hour of exercise a day, and that that's a problem coz regular exercise is an important part of staying healthy and happy.
The report also looked at the most popular activities for kids outside of school.
The top choice for both boys and girls… swimming!
--------------
AUSTRALIAN POLITICAL LEADERS DEBATE AHEAD OF THE MAY ELECTION
The next federal election is looming and last night the leaders of Australia's two biggest political parties went head to head.
It was the first televised debate between the leader of the Liberal Party Scott Morrison and the leader of the Labor Party Bill Shorten.
They argued about taxes, the economy, climate change and the environment.
At the end of the debate the audience voted on who they reckon did best, and Bill Shorten won that vote with 25.
But of course the vote that actually counts is the one that happens on election day.
--------------
HUNDRED ACRE WOODS BURNS IN A FOREST FIRE
The forest made famous by its famous fictional residents Winnie The Pooh, Piglet and Eeyore is quite a bit gone after being hit by a massive fire!
The Ashdown Forest in England was burning for a whole night before firefighters managed to get it under control.
Back in the 1920s, the author of Winnie The Pooh, a guy named A. A. Milne, lived very close, and in his stories, the Ashdown forest was transformed into the Hundred Acre Wood, where Pooh and his friends went adventuring.
--------------
BIG BEN COSTUME GETS STOLEN
So we’ve told you about the Big Ben with legs that managed - with some difficulty - to cross the finish line in the London Marathon.
Well, today, the wearer of the costume's feeling pretty salty, because while he was out celebrating with his mates, someone took off with his costume!!
Ah well, it had a good run.
--------------
MASSIVE ROLLERCOASTER OPENS IN CANADA
Some of the things you probably take for granted - a general feeling of comfort, safety and calm for instance - they're pretty much guaranteed to be gone after a ride on this record breaking rollercoaster.
The new Yukon Striker coaster in Canada's Wonderland theme park is being billed as the fastest & tallest coaster of its kind.
It drops a whopping 75 metres at 130 kilometres an hour!
__
For the past 50 years, Behind the News has been helping to break down current issues and events for young people all around the world. The program is a high-energy, fun way for people to learn about the stories we see in the news, while providing background information that isn’t usually given by other news bulletins.
We have over 1000 stories on all sorts of topics - everything from politics & volcanoes, to online security & fortnite. If you're looking for help to understand something, you'll probably find it on BTN.
Make sure to like & subscribe our videos if you want to stay in the know!
www.abc.net.au/btn/
Follow us on Social Media:
Facebook: / abcbtn
Instagram: / behindthenews
Twitter: / behindthenews