Beluga Hvaldimir, who was speculated to be a spy for the Russian Navy, was found dead off the coast of Norway at the weekend. Referring to the non-profit organization that watched the whale, Reuters reported about it.
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11:44 a.m. September 2, 2024 Share on Facebook
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Hvaldimir was used to people and responded to hand instructions | Source: Profimedia
Hvaldimir, whose name is a pun combining the Norwegian word for whale (hval) and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first name, was spotted by a father and son fishing in southern Norway over the weekend, Norwegian public broadcaster NRK reported.
“Hvaldimir was not just a northern beluga, he was a beacon of hope, a symbol of connection and a reminder of the deep bond between humans and nature,” the non-governmental organization Marine Mind, which tracked the beluga, said on the social network.
A beluga named Hvaldimir. Has the ‘Russian spy’ returned to Scandinavian shores?
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The apparently domesticated cetacean, wearing a harness marked “Property of St. Petersburg,” was first spotted by biologists in Norwegian waters in 2019. Hvaldimir was wearing a harness with what appeared to be a mount for a small camera when he was first spotted near the island of Ingoya in northern Norway, about 300 km from the Russian maritime border. Beluga then spent three years slowly sailing south from northern Norway. In recent months, however, she accelerated and headed further south for an unknown reason.
The toothed whale was very interested in humans and responded to hand signals. This led Norwegian intelligence to believe that he had been held captive in Russia as part of a research program before reaching Norwegian waters. Moscow has never responded to the allegations regarding Hvaldimir.
“It’s absolutely terrible. As recently as Friday, Hvaldimir was apparently in good condition, so we have to find out what could have happened to him,” said marine biologist Sebastian Strand, who has been tracking the cetacean for the past three years.
He added that no serious external injuries were visible. Regina Crosby Haug of One Whale, which campaigned for Hvaldimir’s protection, added that it was a “healthy young beluga with no signs of illness”.
Northern belugas, characterized by their white color and spherical forehead, normally live in the north, near Greenland or in Russian and Norwegian arctic waters. The nearest population of Hvaldimir’s species now lives off Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean.
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