The beluga Hvaldimir, who has been suspected of being a Russian spy whale, has been found dead in southwestern Norway.
Researcher Sebastian Strand, who has worked with the whale for a number of years, confirms this to the Norwegian media NRK.
– Unfortunately, we found Hvaldimir floating in the water. He has passed away, but it is not immediately clear what the cause of death is, it says.
The whale appeared in Norway in 2019 wearing a harness with Russian inscriptions. It was therefore suspected of acting as a Russian spy.
Others thought it was a therapy whale. It was never established exactly what the whale was used for.
At Norway’s Arctic University in Tromsø (UiT), according to the Norwegian news agency NTB, it is believed that the whale was from the Russian navy, which has traditionally used animals such as whales for experiments.
The discovery of the whale received international attention.
Locals in the area where it first appeared gave it the nickname Hvaldimir.
In 2022, it was instead given the nickname Hvaldi in order not to be associated with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
/ritzau/
Source: www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk
