A celebrity 'Russian spy' whale spotted with harness found dead in Norwegian waters

DU thread from April: Whale with harness could be Russian weapon, say Norwegian experts

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A celebrity ‘Russian spy’ whale spotted with harness found dead in Norwegian waters

By JARI TANNER
Updated 9:08 AM EDT, September 1, 2024

HELSINKI (AP) — A white beluga whale named “Hvaldimir,” first spotted in Norway not far from Russian waters with a harness that ignited rumors he may be a Moscow spy, has been found dead.

The Norwegian public broadcaster NRK reported that the whale carcass was found floating at the Risavika Bay in southern Norway Saturday by a father and son who were fishing.

The beluga, named by combining the Norwegian word for whale — hval — and Russian President Putin’s first name Vladimir, was lifted out of the water with a crane and taken to a nearby harbor where experts will examine it.

“Unfortunately, we found Hvaldimir floating in the sea. He has passed away but it’s not immediately clear what the cause of death is,” marine biologist Sebastian Strand told NRK, adding that no major external injuries were visible on the animal.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/norway-beluga-spy-whale-russia-561865d7ea0a3278793f4c27f8739d94


The tame beluga whale made the waters off Norway's coast his home (Helene O'Barry)

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Source: BBC

Russian 'spy whale' found dead off Norway

1 September 2024

Henri Astier
BBC News

A beluga whale suspected of having been trained as a spy by Russia has been found dead off the Norwegian coast.

The body of the animal - nicknamed Hvaldimir - was found floating off the south-western town of Risavika and taken to the nearest port for examination.

The whale was first spotted in Norwegian waters five years ago with a GoPro camera attached to a harness that read "Equipment of St Petersburg".

This sparked rumours the mammal could be a spy whale - something experts say happened in the past. Moscow never responded to the allegations.

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Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cje2p3z8nlyo