Animal rights groups revealed Wednesday that a beluga whale, which gained fame in Norway after suspicions arose that it had been trained by Russia as a spy, was killed by gunfire.
The organizations NOAH and One Whale filed a complaint with Norwegian police, urging them to open a criminal investigation into the incident.
Nicknamed “Hvaldimir,” a combination of the Norwegian word for whale (hval) and a nod to its alleged ties to Moscow, the beluga first appeared off the northern coast of Norway in 2019, in the Finnmark region. The whale became a celebrity but was found dead on Saturday in a bay on Norway’s southwestern coast.
On Monday, the whale’s body was transported to a local branch of the Norwegian Veterinary Institute for an autopsy, with the results expected within three weeks, according to a spokesperson for the institute.
Regina Crosby Haug, head of One Whale, which was tracking the beluga, told media that after inspecting Hvaldimir’s body on Monday, “he had multiple bullet wounds around his body.”
Photographs released by the two organizations on Wednesday showed bullet-like objects lodged in holes on the whale’s bloodstained body, according to Moscow Times.
“The injuries on the whale are alarming and suggest the possibility of a criminal act. It is shocking,” said NOAH director Siri Martinsen in a statement. She stressed the urgency of involving the police quickly due to the nature of the injuries.
Norwegian police confirmed receiving the complaint and stated they would investigate whether there are grounds to launch a formal inquiry. The Veterinary Institute added that should any suspicious findings emerge from the autopsy, they would notify the police.
Hvaldimir first made headlines in 2019 when Norwegian marine biologists removed a man-made harness from him. The harness, equipped to hold an action camera, had “Equipment St. Petersburg” printed in English on its clasps.
Officials speculated that the whale might have been trained by the Russian navy due to its familiarity with humans, though Moscow never officially responded to the rumors.
A third organization, Marine Mind, also tracking Hvaldimir, discovered the whale’s floating body on Saturday. According to its director, Sebastian Strand, “There was nothing immediately clear about the cause of death,” though markings were observed, some likely caused by marine birds.
There had been disagreement between One Whale and Marine Mind regarding Hvaldimir’s safety. One Whale had advocated for relocating him to the Barents Sea to reduce the risk of collisions with ships, while Marine Mind opposed the idea, citing the potential dangers of transporting the whale.
Believed to be between 15 and 20 years old, Hvaldimir was still relatively young for a beluga, which can live up to 35 years.
The “spy whale” theory was initially fueled by the Barents Sea’s strategic significance during the Cold War, as it remains a region of military interest between Russia and the West, particularly for submarine movements and the Northeast Passage.
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