This whale of a tale just took a spy thriller twist.
A beluga whale purportedly trained as a Russian spy that was found dead off the coast of Norway this weekend died with “multiple bullet wounds,” according to an animal rights group.
The grisly discovery was made public by animal rights groups NOAH and OneWhale, who have requested Norwegian police investigate how the famous mammal may have met its demise at the hands of a mystery gunman.
Hvaldimir ‘s presence was well-known in Norway’s waters, and marine nonprofits used his story to promote marine conservation. NTB Scanpix/Norwegian Directorate of fisheries/AFP via Getty Images“The injuries on the whale are alarming — it is shocking,” Siri Martinsen, veterinarian and leader of NOAH, wrote on social media.
“It is crucial that the police are involved quickly. All facts must be brought to light regarding his death.”
Dubbed “Hvaldimir” as a pun on hval the Norwegian word for whale, the alleged deep-cover beluga made a name for himself after fishermen spotted him in April 2019 wearing a harness equipped with what looked like a small action camera mount.
Belugas live in large groups of pods in the wild, and marine experts say living a solitary life put Hvaldimir at risk. APA buckle on the harness bearing the English text “Equipment St. Petersburg” led to rampant speculation that the mammal had been enlisted by the Russian regime as an aquatic spy.
The 2,700-pound beluga’s friendliness with humans led Norwegian officials to further speculate he had spent time around people, and perhaps had been trained by the Russian navy, which has been known to train whales for military purposes.
Hvaldimir’s lifeless body was found floating in the waters off southwestern coast of the Scandinavian country Saturday and transported to a local veterinary institute for autopsy.
Hvaldimir’s lifeless body was found floating in the waters off the Norwegian coast on Saturday. APThere, it was revealed he “had multiple bullet wounds around his body,” OneWhale’s chief Regina Crosby Haug told AFP after viewing the body.
It was not immediately known whether the bullets caused his death, and a spokesperson for Norwegian Veterinary Institute told CBS a full report would be released within three weeks.
OneWhale said it had received permits from different government agencies in Norway, and was in the process of moving Hvaldimir to a location near a wild beluga pod in open waters.
Investigators are working to determine whether the bullets caused the whale’s death. APBelugas live in large groups of pods in the wild, and marine experts say living a solitary life put Hvaldimir at risk.
The organization had hopes of moving Hvaldimir to his new home by September, which it said could have extended his life by another 40-50 years.
During the Cold War, Russia developed a program to train whales, seals, dolphins and other marine life to assist naval vessels in scouting out underwater weapons, CBS reported.
Although the program ran officially until the 1990s, it remains unknown whether it was shuttered after the collapse of the Soviet Union or merely repurposed.
