There are no signs that the 'Russian spy' whale was shot dead: Norwegian police. September 9, 2024

Nicknamed “Hvaldimir”, the white beluga first appeared off the coast of the Finnmark region in the far north of Norway in 2019.

By AFP - Agence France Presse

There are no signs that the 'Russian spy' whale was shot dead: Norwegian police.

Norwegian police said on Monday that no foul play was suspected in the death of a beluga whale, whose unusual harness sparked suspicions that it had been trained by Russia as a spy.

Nicknamed “Hvaldimir” in a pun on the Norwegian word for whale (“hval”) and its alleged ties to Moscow, the white beluga first appeared off the coast of the Finnmark region in the far north of Norway in 2019.

Quickly becoming a celebrity in Norway, she was found dead on August 31 in a bay on the country's southwest coast.

Last week, animal rights organizations NOAH and One Whale claimed that the whale had been shot dead and filed a police report.

With an estimated age of 15 to 20 years, Hvaldimir was relatively young for a beluga, which normally lives up to 35 years, according to the environmental group WWF.

The Norwegian Veterinary Institute carried out an autopsy, and the police said that, based on their preliminary report, there was nothing to indicate that “human activity” was responsible for Hvaldimir's death.

The police suggested that the beluga may have died of starvation and said they would not open an investigation.

“There is nothing in the autopsy to indicate that Hvaldimir was shot,” police officer Amund Preede Revheim said in a statement.

He said the whale had “totally superficial” injuries.

“One of the wounds is a little deeper, but these wounds did not affect any vital organs and were not fatal,” he added.

The police did not give the cause of death but said that a piece of wood 35 centimeters long and three centimeters wide was found lodged in his mouth.

“The autopsy revealed that his stomach was empty. In addition, most of her organs were deteriorated,” said Revheim.

The director of One Whale, Regina Crosby Haug, told AFP last week that she saw “several bullet wounds around the body” when she said goodbye to Hvaldimir at the Veterinary Institute.

One Whale and NOAH have published photographs showing what they claim are bullet holes in his bloodied body.

NOAH said on Monday that the police statement “raised more questions than it answered” and offered a reward of 50,000 kroner (US$4,610) for information on the cause of the whale's death.

When Hvaldimir was found in 2019, Norwegian marine biologists removed an artificial harness with a suitable mount for an action camera and the words “Equipment St. Petersburg” printed in English on the plastic fasteners.

Norwegian authorities said the whale may have escaped from an enclosure and been trained by the Russian navy, as it appeared to be used by humans.

Moscow has never given an official response to the allegations that the whale could be a “Russian spy”.

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