Beloved ‘Russian spy whale’ Hvaldimir found dead in mysterious circumstances

Hvaldimir, the beloved whale believed to have escaped from his former life as a Russian spy, was found dead last weekend in circumstances that animal rights groups say were unnatural.

Beluga — whose name combines the Norwegian word for whale (hval) and the name of Russian President Vladimir Putin — gained international fame after they were discovered by fishermen off the coast of Norway in 2019 wearing a camera harness marked “Equipment Saint Petersburg.”

Theories about his mysterious past made headlines and stirred up intrigue, but it was his friendly nature that won him legions of admirers over the years.

Hvaldimir roamed the Norwegian coast, visiting fish farms and actively seeking interaction with people. “He was very interested in people and responded to hand signals,” according to non-profit organization Marine Mind.

The gentle giant, which measures about 13 feet long and weighs about 2,000 pounds, has even gone viral several times over: for pulling kayaker dropped GoPro camera camera, playing fetch with a rugby ball and playing with underwater drone.

But Hvaldimir’s encounters with humans were not always positive. He was scarred from being hit by multiple boats, and experts warned that as a “lonely, sociable man” he had a lower chance of survival. Concerns grew when spotted last year in Swedenwhere there are more people and less fish than in Norway.

Hvaldimir’s case has inspired the work of at least two non-profit organizations dedicated to protecting the marine environment and Hvaldimir in particular.

OneWhale, founded in 2019, advocated for protecting Hvaldimir from “tourism and other dangers.” Other marine biologists concerned about the impact of the whale’s relocation founded Marine Mind, which tracks Hvaldimir’s movements but also focuses on raising awareness of marine species more broadly. NPR has reached out to both organizations for comment.

With the Norwegian government’s permission, OneWhale has been actively working to relocate Hvaldimir to the wild population of beluga whales in the Arctic, where they normally occur. The organization recently announced I plan to transport it in the coming weeks.

However, hopes for Hvaldimir’s safety were dashed on Saturday when he was found dead in… OneWhale called “in the heavily trafficked waters just outside Stavanger, Norway.”

“This morning, after receiving a report from a local, our team arrived at the scene and found Hvaldimir floating peacefully in the water,” Marine Mind said. announced on Instagram“It is not (immediately) clear what caused his death, an autopsy will be carried out to determine his untimely death.”

Hvaldimir is believed to have died at the age of 14–15. average life expectancy for the beluga whale it is over 30.

The Norwegian Veterinary Institute will conduct a post-mortem examination – an autopsy of the animals – and publish the results “within two or three weeks,” the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries said in a statement. statement to People.

Meanwhile, social media is flooded with theories and tributes.

Many questions remain unclear about the life and death of Hvaldimir

OneWhale said in its announcement that it suspects Hvaldimir’s death was “not natural.”

In the series video messages In a post later published on Instagram, founder Regina Haug mentioned the “holes where blood was pouring from his body” and said that of the team of marine biologists and veterinarians who viewed photos of Hvaldimir’s injuries, “not one of them believed that Hvaldimir died a natural death.”

“Today we visited Hvaldimir ourselves, saw him and said goodbye. There was no doubt that he was dying from something very unnatural and heartbreaking,” she said tearfully, before placing the blame on those who tried to “block his move” and spread misinformation about the extent of his injuries.

Sebastian Strand, founder of Marine Mind, he told AFP that there were no visible injuries on Hvaldimir’s body.

Strand also told diving publication Divernet that “we would rather not talk about people’s divisions during this time of mourning for Hvaldimir,” adding that “people had different ideas about how best to protect him.”

“For now, we are trying to give him dignity by making sure he is well protected and investigated so that his death does not remain a mystery,” he added.

As authorities seek to answer questions surrounding Hvaldimir’s death, it is likely that many details about his early life will remain a mystery.

It is widely believed that he escaped from captivity in Russian waters. Many, pointing to the label on his camera harness and his sensitivity to people, believe he was involved in espionage.

The Russian Navy is known to use marine mammals such as whales and dolphins for intelligence purposes (the US has a history of similar programs), although the Kremlin has never publicly commented on the Hvaldimir case.

Others theorize that he was lost russian therapeutic whale named Seymon, who lived in the fence and sometimes performed for disabled children.

What is certain is that Hvaldimir’s playfulness and resilience have entertained and inspired many. Environmental groups say his story sheds light on the plight of beluga whales, and by extension, other marine species struggling to survive.

Marine Mind credits Hvaldimir with having touched the lives of tens of thousands of people over the past five years and “bridged the gap between humans and wildlife in a way that few have been able to do.”

“His presence taught us how important it is to care for our oceans, and in the process, he taught us more about ourselves,” it added.

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