Russian ‘spy whale’ Hvaldimir accused of being on ‘secret filming mission’ found dead off Norway coast
FAMOUS white beluga whale Hvaldimir who was suspected to be a Russian spy on a secret filming mission died in Norway yesterday.
Hvaldimir's carcass was spotted floating by unsuspecting fishermen in Risavika Bay, in the Scandinavian country's south coast.
The lifeless beloved beluga was found by a stunned dad and his son who were out fishing at the bay on Saturday.
Hvaldimir, who stood at an impressive 14ft and weighed a staggering 2,700lbs had to be whisked out of the water with a crane.
The adorable whale gained a loyal fan base shortly after he was found by Norwegian fishermen on Ingøya island in 2019.
They found the male with a harness on him with space for a camera to be attached and it was removed later.
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The harness's straps had "Equipment St Petersburg" written on them, sparking the rumours that the beluga was a Moscow spy whale.
Hvaldimir owes his comical moniker to a combination of the Norwegian word for whale - hval - and Vladimir to honour Russia dictator Putin.
Experts suspected he may have even escaped from a training tank at a facility.
They also say the Russian navy is known to have trained whales for military purposes.
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But the beluga appeared unusually friendly and used to human interaction.
Local NGO Marine Mind wrote on their site: "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."
Gutted marine biologist Sebastian Strand told Norwegian broadcaster : "Unfortunately, we found Hvaldimir floating in the sea.
"He has passed away but it’s not immediately clear what the cause of death is" but was relieved he had no visible major external injuries.
Strand, who monitored Hvaldimir’s adventures for Marine Mind, said he was deeply affected by the whale’s sudden death.
"It’s absolutely horrible. He was apparently in good condition as of Friday. So we just have to figure out what might have happened here."
Unlike others of his breed, Hvaldimir was keen on human company.
NRK said it was clear he was very tame and enjoyed playing with people, and it's known that the whale responded to hand signals.
Storm Karolius Kristiansen, 16, was mackerel fishing with his dad when they suddenly came across the huge sea animal near fishing village Tanager.
The teen told NRK: "At first I thought it was a boat that had capsized, so me and my father drove over there to check it out.
"By then there was already a boat with some biologists who had followed the whale."
The pair decided to move the whale towards the land in a bid to stop nosy people from gathering around him.
They then tied a rope around Hvaldimir's tail and dragged him onto the shore.
The 16-year-old said: "I was shocked. I had never imagined a whale lying in Tananger. I've never experienced anything close to that before."
His cause of death has yet to be confirmed but lived a healthy life and experts are due to examine him at a nearby harbour.
