The white cetacean was spotted in April 2019 in the far north of Norway. It was wearing a harness around its head with a base for a small camera, and was suspected of being a Russian spy animal.
The subject of all fantasies, including suspicions of espionage, the beluga Hvaldimir, found dead last weekend in southwestern Norway, was shot dead, two Norwegian NGOs claimed on September 4. Animal rights organizations NOAH and One Whale announced that they had filed a complaint with the Norwegian police so that they could open an investigation. “criminal investigation”.
A white whale described as young and healthy, Hvaldimir was found dead Saturday off the southwest coast of Risavika. His body was taken Monday to a local branch of the Norwegian Veterinary Institute for an autopsy.
Gunshot wounds
The report is expected “within three weeks”said a spokeswoman for the institute. “He had multiple gunshot wounds on his body.”Regina Crosby Haug, who said she saw the remains on Monday, told AFP. Crosby Haug runs One Whale, an NGO set up specifically to track the movements of the cetacean that has become a celebrity in Norway. “The whale’s injuries are alarming and of a nature that cannot rule out foul play. They are shocking.”commented NOAH leader Siri Martinsen in a statement.
“When faced with suspicion of a criminal act, it is crucial that the police intervene quickly”she added. It was a third NGO, Marine Mind, a competitor of One Whale, which said it found Hvaldimir lying dead on Saturday around 2:30 p.m. (12:30 p.m. GMT). “There was no immediate indication of the cause of death.”its leader, Sebastian Strand, told AFP. “We have seen marks but it is too early to say.”Some of the marks were probably caused by seabird predation, he said, but others remain unexplained at this stage.
Aged between 15 and 20 at the time of his death according to estimates, «Hvaldimir» was spotted in April 2019 off the coast of the Arctic region of Finnmark, in the far north of Norway. He was wearing around his head an enigmatic harness equipped with a base for a small camera, with the text «Equipment St.Peterburg» printed in English on the plastic straps. This led to speculation that it was a spy animal from neighbouring Russia, leading to its being named Hvaldimir, a play on the Norwegian word for whale (hval) and the Kremlin’s iconic Russian first name. Moscow has never officially commented on the speculation.
