A beluga whale suspected of being trained to be “Putin’s spy” has been found dead off the Norwegian coast, after “defecting” from Russia.
The mammal - nicknamed Hvaldimir - was first spotted five years ago off the coast Hammerfest in the Arctic, with what appeared to be a camera harness - with the words “equipment of St Petersburg” - attached to him.
This prompted speculation that Hvaldimir - a combination of the Norwegian word for whale “hval”, and the first name of Russia’s President - had been trained by Moscow’s navy.
For the past five years, Hvaldimir was spotted in several coastal towns in the Scandinavian country, where he seemed to enjoy playing with people.
'Putin's spy whale' found dead after 'defecting' from Russia
NORWEGIAN DIRECTORATE OF FISHERIES
On Saturday, a father and son who were out fishing discovered the whale’s carcass, Norwegian public broadcaster NRK reported.
“Hvaldimir was not just a beluga whale; he was a beacon of hope, a symbol of connection, and a reminder of the deep bond between humans and the natural world,” Marine Mind, a nonprofit organisation that had been tracking his movements, said on social media.
Sebastian Strand, founder of the organisation, said that his cause of death is unknown and his body has no obvious signs of injury.
“It's absolutely horrible,” Strand said. “He was apparently in good condition [as of Friday]. So we just have to figure out what might have happened here.
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“We've managed to retrieve his remains and put him in a cooled area, in preparation for a necropsy by the veterinary institute.”
Regina Crosby Haug from One Whale, an organisation that campaigned to protect the 14ft long mammal, added he was a “healthy young whale with no signs of illness”.
“I really hope that this is not human-related,” she added.
Vladimir weighed 1,225kg and was thought to be around 15 years old - which is still quite young for a Beluga whale whose lifespan can reach 60 years.
Hvaldimir's name is a combination of the Norwegian word for whale 'hval' and Putin
ReutersHis sighting in April 2019 generated attention because belugas are rarely seen so far south from the high Arctic.
What followed was an investigation by Norway’s domestic intelligence agency, which concluded that the whale had likely been trained by the Russians as he appeared to be very comfortable with humans.
Marine Mind said that Hvaldimir was very interested in his human admirers, regularly responding 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,” its website reads.
Moscow has never responded to the speculation. It has previously denied the existence of any programmes seeking to train sea mammals as spies.