The carcass of a beluga whale, suspected of spying for Russia because of its special harness and named Hvaldimir after Vladimir Putin, was found off the coast of Norway on Saturday, Marine Mind, a Norwegian animal welfare organization, said.
In the spring of 2019, Norwegian fishermen in northern Norway discovered a beluga whale on which they noticed a harness. The logo of one of the St. Petersburg companies was found on the harness buckle. In this regard, Norwegian media began to write that the beluga whale “escaped from Russian captivity”, and the animal itself was nicknamed “Hvaldimir” (a combination of the Norwegian word Hval – whale and the name of the Russian president). The Norwegian Fisheries Agency also urged citizens to avoid contact with the “Russian spy whale”.
“It is with great sadness that we share the news of Hvaldimir’s passing. This morning (31 August), after receiving a message from a local resident, our team arrived and discovered Hvaldimir’s body… in the water.” — the organization said in a statement on social media.
Animal rights activists added that an autopsy will be carried out to determine the cause of the whale’s death.
In connection with the incident, the New York Times wrote in reference to the founder of Marine Mind. Sebastian StrandHvaldimir was showing signs of domestication and was comfortable around people. According to the publication, the whale generally stayed in more crowded waters than other beluga whales, raising concerns among scientists and activists.
The beluga whale is a species of toothed whale from the narwhal family, found in all coastal waters of the Arctic basin, as well as in the White, Bering and Okhotsk seas. Beluga whales make regular seasonal migrations, RIA Novosti notes.
