HELSINGFORS (AP) — A white white whale named “Hvaldimir”, who was first seen in Norway not far from Russian waters wearing a harness that ignited rumors that he may be a Moscow spy, has been found dead.
The Norwegian public service channel NRK reported that the whale carcass was found floating in Risavika Bay in southern Norway on Saturday by a father and son who were fishing.
beluga, named by combining the Norwegian word for whale – whale – and Russian President Putin’s first name Vladimir, was lifted out of the water by a crane and taken to a nearby port where experts will examine it.
“Unfortunately, we found Hvaldimir floating in the sea. He has passed away, but it is not immediately clear what the cause of death is, says marine biologist Sebastian Strand to NRK, adding that no major external injuries were visible on the animal.
Strand, who has been covering Hvaldimir’s adventures for the past three years on behalf of the Norwegian-based non-profit organization Marine Mind, said he was deeply moved by the whale’s sudden death.
“It’s absolutely horrible,” Strand said. “He was apparently in good condition as of (Friday). So we just have to figure out what might have happened here.”
The 4.2-meter (14-foot) long, 1,225-kilogram (2,700-pound) whale was first spotted by fishermen near the northern island of Ingøya, not far from the Arctic town of Hammerfest, in April 2019 wearing a harness and what appeared to be a mount for a small camera and a buckle marked with the text “Equipment St. Petersburg”.
It sparked accusations that the beluga was “a spy whale”. Experts said the Russian navy is known to have trained whales for military purposes.
Over the years, the beluga was spotted in several Norwegian coastal towns and it quickly became apparent that he was very tame and enjoyed playing with people, NRK said.
The NGO Marine Mind said on its site that Hvaldimir was very interested in people and responded to hand signals.
“Based on these sightings, it appeared that Hvaldimir arrived in Norway by crossing over from Russian waters, where he is believed to have been held captive,” it said.
Norwegian media have speculated whether Hvaldimir could have been used as “a therapy whale” of some kind in Russia.