Mystery surrounds the death of the beluga Hvaldimir in Norway. The young cetacean, who became a world star, was suspected of having been used for a spy operation for Russia. Aged between 15 and 20 years old at the time of his death according to estimates, Hvaldimir had been spotted in April 2019 off the coast of the Arctic region of Finnmark, in the far north of Norway. His body was found on Saturday, August 31. But according to two NGOs, his remains bear bullet marks.
Regina Haug was one of the first people to examine the remains of Hvaldimir. And for the founder of One Whale, an NGO dedicated to the protection of the famous beluga, his death is a criminal act: ” I knew immediately that Hvaldimir had been shot. He had bullet wounds all over his body and blood was flowing from them. You could even see a bullet still lodged in his body. »
Together with another NGO, she immediately filed a complaint. But the police are stalling and will decide whether to take the matter further or not, depending on the autopsy report that will not be available for three weeks. Regina Haug is not very optimistic. So, without waiting, she launched her own investigation:
« We will support whatever the police do, but we have questions. We are trying to find out if there were cameras in the port where he was. We are looking into it and working with people on the ground to find out. We have shown the photos of his injuries to marine biologists, veterinarians and ballistic experts from the police. »
- RFI
