The white beluga whale named “Hvaldimir” was first spotted in Norway in April 2019 not far from Russian waters wearing a harness, igniting rumors he may be a Moscow spy.
Norwegian public broadcaster NRK reported on Sunday that the carcass of the whale was found floating at the Risavika Bay in southern Norway the day before by a father and son while they were fishing.
The beluga, named by combining the Norwegian word for whale — hval — and Russian President Putin’s first name Vladimir, shot to fame in April 2019 after it was found near the northern island of Ingøya, not far from the Arctic city of Hammerfest, with a harness on, igniting rumors he may be a Moscow spy.
It was lifted out of the water with a crane and taken to a nearby harbour where experts will examine it.
“Unfortunately, we found Hvaldimir floating in the sea. He has died but it’s not immediately clear what the cause of death is,” marine biologist Sebastian Strand, who has monitored Hvaldimir for the past three years on behalf of the Norway-based Marine Mind non-profit organization, told NRK, adding that no major external injuries were visible on the animal.
The 4.2-metre-long and 1,225-kilogramme whale was first spotted by fishermen in April 2019 wearing a harness and what appeared to be a mount for a small camera and a buckle marked with text “Equipment St. Petersburg”.
“Spy whale”
That sparked allegations 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 seen in several Norwegian coastal towns, NRK said.
NGO Marine Mind said on its site that Hvaldimir was very interested in people and responded to hand signals.
“Based on these observations, it appeared as if Hvaldimir arrived in Norway by crossing over from Russian waters, where it is presumed he was held in captivity,” it said.