On Wednesday, animal rights groups declared that a beluga whale, which gained fame in Norway due to its peculiar harness, was killed by gunfire. The organizations NOAH and One Whale have lodged a complaint with the Norwegian police, urging a 'criminal investigation'.
The beluga, affectionately known as 'Hvaldimir'—a play on the Norwegian word for whale, 'hval', and its alleged connections to Moscow—was first spotted in Norway's far-northern Finnmark region in 2019. It was discovered dead on Saturday off the southwestern coast of Norway. The whale's body was transported to a local branch of the Norwegian Veterinary Institute for an autopsy, with results expected within three weeks.
Regina Crosby Haug, the head of One Whale, who viewed the body, told AFP that 'Hvaldimir' had multiple bullet wounds. One Whale was established to monitor the celebrity beluga. NOAH's director, Siri Martinsen, expressed shock at the injuries, stating they could not rule out a criminal act.
Marine Mind, another organization that tracked the whale, found the body floating in the water on Saturday. The director, Sebastian Strand, noted that while some markings were likely from marine birds, others remained unexplained. 'Hvaldimir' was estimated to be between 15 and 20 years old, relatively young for a beluga, which can live up to 40-60 years.
When initially discovered, the whale had a harness fitted for an action camera with the words 'Equipment St. Petersburg' on it. Norwegian officials speculated that it might have escaped from an enclosure and could have been trained by the Russian navy, given its comfort around humans. Russia has not officially commented on the speculation that the whale could have been a 'Russian spy'.
