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Animal rights groups are claiming someone shot and killed Hvaldimir, the beluga whale found in Norwegian waters in 2019 who won brief fame after being accused of being a former agent of a Russian spy program.
Hvaldimir, whose name is a portmanteau of the Norwegian word for “whale” and the Russian name “Vladimir,” was found dead Saturday, according to the nonprofit Marine Mind.
Marine Mind said it would not speculate on a cause, noting in a Facebook post that the Norwegian Veterinary Institute was still investigating his death. Other groups, however, say they believe Hvaldimir was shot dead by an unknown assailant.
OneWhale, a nonprofit formed in 2019 specifically to protect and care for Hvaldimir, and NOAH, the largest animal rights organization in Norway, filed a police report to local and national law enforcement in Norway Wednesday alleging that the beluga had been shot.
While the official autopsy has not yet been released, preliminary findings showed that gunshot wounds killed Hvaldimir, OneWhale said in release.
“I have been with Hvaldimir for the past five years and know him very well. When I saw his body and the multiple injuries, I immediately knew he had been killed by gunshots. I even saw a bullet lodged in his body. There is no question that this kind, gentle animal was senselessly murdered,” OneWhale founder Regina Haug said in a statement.
In a separate release, NOAH uploaded purported posthumous photos of Hvaldimir showing blood and what appear to be hole-shaped wounds.
The groups were trying to get Hvaldimir relocated to waters off the northern coast of Norway, where he could join other belugas and have a safer life overall.
“[We] were so close to finally getting Hvaldimir to safer waters and giving him a chance at a sustainable future. Our worst fears came true when his young life was cut short,” Ms. Haug added.
Hvaldimircam under suspicion of being an escaped Russian spy whale due to the continuation of Soviet programs using marine mammals for military and intelligence purposes after 1991 and because he was initially found with a camera harness that read in English “Equipment St. Petersburg,” according to Marine Mind.
His behavior also suggested a previous life in captivity.
“He was completely acclimatized to human culture,” Marine Mind founder Sebastian Strand told The New York Times.
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