A beluga whale nicknamed Hvaldimir, who had become a subject of fascination and intrigue in Norway, was found dead on Saturday. The whale, initially spotted off the Norwegian coast wearing a harness, sparked rumors of being a Russian spy.
The Norwegian public broadcaster NRK reported that Hvaldimir’s body was found floating in the Risavika Bay, located in southern Norway. The discovery was made by a father and son who were fishing in the area. The whale’s nickname, a combination of the Norwegian word for whale ‘hval’ and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin, added to the mystery surrounding him.
Local authorities lifted the whale out of the water using a crane and transported it to a nearby harbor for examination by experts. Marine biologist Sebastian Strand, speaking to NRK, confirmed the sad news of Hvaldimir’s passing, stating, “Unfortunately, we found Hvaldimir floating in the sea. He has passed away, but it’s not immediately clear what the cause of death is.” Strand noted that no significant external injuries were visible on the whale’s body.
Strand, who had been tracking Hvaldimir’s movements for the past three years, expressed deep sorrow over the whale’s death. “It’s absolutely horrible,” he said, adding that Hvaldimir appeared to be in good health on the previous day. “We just have to figure out what might have happened here.”
The 4.2-meter (14ft) long, 1,225kg (2,700lb) whale was first sighted in 2019 near the northern island of Ingøya. At that time, he was wearing a harness with a mount for a small camera and a buckle marked “Equipment St Petersburg.” This led to speculations that Hvaldimir was a Russian spy whale.
However, Marine Mind, the Norway-based non-profit organization that monitored Hvaldimir’s journey, suggested that the whale was “tame” and may have been kept in Russian captivity. The organization stated, “Based on these observations, it appeared as if Hvaldimir arrived in Norway by crossing over from Russian waters, where it is presumed he was held in captivity.”
Hvaldimir’s docile behavior led many to believe that he might have been used as a “therapy whale” in Russia. The cause of death for the enigmatic whale remains under investigation.
