The beluga Hvaldimir was discovered in 2019 in the Far North of Norway wearing a strange harness, leading to suspicions of having been used by the Russian Navy. He was found dead this Sunday, September 1, in southwest Norway.
“He was special to so many people.” The NGO Marine Mind announced, “with a heavy heart,” the death of the beluga Hvaldimir this Sunday, September 1. This white cetacean, which was discovered five years ago wearing a strange harness that led to suspicions of having been used by the Russian navy, was found dead in the southwest of Norway, according to this NGO which follows its movements.
First spotted in the waters of the Norwegian Arctic in 2019, the name of this white cetacean, several meters long, comes from a play on words combining the word whale (hval, in Norwegian), and the emblematic Russian first name.
“I found Hvaldi dead yesterday while I was looking for him, as usual,” Sebastian Strand, founder of the NGO Marine Mind, said in a message to AFP.
“We had confirmation that he was alive for just over 24 hours before we found him floating motionless” off the southwest coast at Risavika, he added. The cause of his death is unknown and no visible injuries were found during an initial inspection of the whale’s body, Sebastian Strand said.
“We managed to recover his remains and place them in a cool place, with a view to a necropsy by the veterinary institute which will help determine what really happened to him,” added the specialist.
“Hvaldimir bridged the gap between humans and wild animals”
“His presence taught us the importance of ocean conservation and, in doing so, he also taught us to know ourselves better,” wrote the NGO Marine Mind on Instagram in a post in his tribute.
Before adding: “Hvaldimir bridged the gap between humans and wild animals like few people can. He was special to so many people and left a lasting mark on all who had the privilege of meeting him.”
Estimated to be 14 to 15 years old, “Hvaldimir” was spotted in April 2019 off the coast of the Arctic region of Finnmark, in Norway’s far north. Biologists who approached him managed to remove the harness that was attached to his head. It was equipped with a base for a small camera, with the text “Equipment St.Peterburg” printed in English on the plastic straps.
The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries speculated at the time that Hvaldimir had escaped from a pen and had been trained by the Russian Navy, as he appears accustomed to human company and tends to approach ships. Moscow has never officially commented on the speculation.
He was then spotted a year ago on the west coast of Sweden, and the NGO was concerned that he was managing to find food in this area and had already identified signs of weight loss.
Belugas traditionally live much further north, near Greenland, or in the waters of the Russian or Norwegian Arctic. The Barents Sea and the North Atlantic are strategic areas for the Western and Russian navies, a usual contact zone for their submarines.
Juliette Brossault with AFP
