Hvaldimir, the white beluga whale dubbed the “Russian spy whale” that was found dead over the weekend off Norway, was most likely shot, animal-rights groups said Wednesday, calling for an immediate investigation.
One Whale and NOAH, two groups that had been monitoring the whale’s movements for the past five years, said they had filed a police report “based on compelling evidence that the whale was killed by gunshot wounds,” they said in a joint statement.
“Several veterinarians, biologists, and ballistics experts have reviewed evidence of Hvaldimir’s injuries, determining that the whale’s death was the result of a criminal act,” they said.
“The injuries on the whale are alarming — it is shocking… it is crucial that the police are involved quickly,” added NOAH leader and veterinarian Siri Martinsen.
A full autopsy is underway but results won’t be available for two to three weeks, the Norwegian Veterinary Institute said Monday, according to BBC News.
Hvaldimir was young and healthy at 15 to 20 years old, and should have lived 40 to 60 years. He was found floating in Risavika Bay in southern Norway on Saturday by a father and son who were out fishing.
The whale’s name was a combination compilation and pun on the Norwegian word for whale, “hval,” and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The marine mammal began visiting fishing boats off the coast of Norway in 2019, sporting an empty harness for a live-action camera, which sparked speculation that the animal had escaped Russian captivity.
The harness was labeled, in English, “Equipment of St. Petersburg.”
At the time Russia was coming under scrutiny for training whales, dolphins and other marine mammals to be part of a unique special ops force, though the country’s military has denied such programs exist.
Norwegian marine biologists removed the harness, and Hvaldimir went on to develop a public following.
In May of last year, the whale had been spotted swimming off the west coast of Sweden, about 1,250 miles south of where he had first been spotted. Their normal habitat is the Arctic.
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