Subhi Agrawal
The white beluga whale named “Hvaldimir” which became famous for wearing a harness that says “Equipment St. Petersburg” in 2019 has been spotted dead off the coast of Norway.
Allegations Of Russian Spy
The harness led to allegations that the beluga was a “spy whale,” as experts suggested that the Russian navy has a history of training whales for military purposes. However, the Russians never claimed the whale’s responsibility. The 14-foot-long, 2,700-pound whale was found by a fisherman with his son in the bay of Risavika, near Stavanger, according to The New York Times.
“Based on these observations, it appeared as if Hvaldimir arrived in Norway by crossing over from Russian waters, where it is presumed he was held in captivity,”
Sebastian Strand, the founder of the nonprofit Marine Mind, who examined Hvaldimir’s activities for the past three years, expressed his grief over the death, “Unfortunately, we found Hvaldimir floating in the sea. He has passed away but it’s not immediately clear what the cause of death is,” Strand told NRK
The reason behind the Hvaldimir’s death is still unknown. However, as per officials, the whale was doing well before the death.
Responds To Hand Signals
“It’s absolutely horrible. He was apparently in good condition as of (Friday). So we just have to figure out what might have happened here,” said Strand.
Strand also stated that Hvaldimir was very active and interested in people. Moreover, he used to respond to the hand signals, and this behavior used to concern the scientists about his safety.
“He was completely acclimatised to human culture,” Strand said
Hvaldimir traveled along the Scandinavian coastline in recent years. He was making appearances off the coast of Sweden and last year, he was observed venturing into hazardous and industrial waters.
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