NORWAY – He was the subject of all fantasies… even spying for Russia. The famous beluga Hvaldimir, found dead last weekend in southwestern Norway, was shot dead, two Norwegian NGOs said on Wednesday, September 4.
Hvaldimir and the rugby-playing beluga are indeed the same animal
Animal rights organisations Noah and One Whale have announced that they have filed a complaint with the Norwegian police to open a ” criminal investigation ” after the death of the white cetacean, described as young and healthy. Hvaldimir was found dead on Saturday off Risavika, southwest Norway.
Autopsy report expected by end of month
His body was since taken to a local branch of the Norwegian Veterinary Institute on Monday for an autopsy. The report is expected ” within three weeks “, said a spokeswoman for the institute.
But without waiting for this information, animal protection activists therefore spoke of a death caused by man. He had multiple gunshot wounds on his body “, assured AFP Regina Crosby Haug, who says she saw the remains on Monday and who runs One Whale, an NGO specially created to track the movements of the cetacean which 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.
Hvaldimir la « Russian whale »
It was a third NGO, Marine Mind, a competitor of One Whale, which said it found Hvaldimir lying dead on Saturday at midday. There was no immediate indication of the cause of death. “, its leader, Sebastian Strand, told AFP. We have seen some marks, but it is too early to say. ” According to him, some of these ” marques ” were probably due to predation by seabirds, 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 gave rise to speculation that it was a spy animal from neighbouring Russia, leading to its being named Hvaldimir, a play on words from the word whale (” whale “, in Norwegian) and the emblematic Russian first name of the Kremlin’s master. Moscow has never officially commented on the speculations.
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