A beluga whale, believed to have been trained as a Russian spy, was found dead on September 1st, floating at sea near the village of Risavika on Norway’s southwestern coast. While the idea of a spy whale might sound strange or like a joke, Russia has a history of training aquatic mammals for military purposes. The whale was named Hvaldimir, a combination of the Norwegian word for whale, “hval,” and the first name of the Russian president, Vladimir.
Hvaldimir first appeared off the coast in Norway’s far northern Finnmark region in 2019, attracting attention due to the GoPro camera harness he was wearing, which bore the inscription “Equipment of St. Petersburg.”
Two animal rights groups, One Whale and Noah, expressed their grief over the whale’s death, and Norwegian police launched an investigation into the cause. Regina Haug, founder of One Whale, claimed to have observed several wounds that appeared to be caused by bullets. Additionally, Siri Martinsen, a director at Noah, stated, “The injuries on the whale are alarming, and the possibility that a criminal act was involved is shocking.”
However, a forensic examination revealed the true cause of Hvaldimir’s death. An autopsy found that the whale died after a 14-inch stick, measuring 3 cm in width, became lodged in his mouth. This finding disproved the animal rights activists’ claims that Hvaldimir had been shot. Norwegian police also confirmed there was no evidence of gunshot wounds, as the injuries were entirely superficial.
As a result, the police have concluded their investigation, and a final report will be published in two weeks.
By. Minkyu Jung