Explained: Why Norway is warning people to stay away from ‘spy’ whale Hvaldimir

Norway is warning its residents to stay away from a ‘spy’ whale. The whale known as ‘Hvaldimir’ first gained fame in 2019 when it was spotted off the coast of Norway. Some researchers at the time speculated that the beluga whale was likely trained by the Russian military. Let’s take a closer look at the ‘spy whale’: What do we know about Hvaldimir? According to UPI, Hvaldimir was spotted in the Barents Sea coast in April 2019 wearing a harness that appeared to have mounts for cameras. As per New York Post, fisherman Joar Hesten discovered the whale after Hvaldimir began rubbing his body against a boat. Experts at the time told CNN the whale was trained and there was some proof that it was from Russia. CNN quoted marine biologist Jorgen Ree Wiig as saying the harness was seemingly “specially made”. The harness also had “Equipment St. Petersburg” on it – fuelling speculation that the whale was from Russia’s Murmansk and was trained by the Russian navy.

Wiig said the Russian navy has “been known to train belugas to conduct military operations before.”

Martin Biuw, a marine mammal researcher at Norway’s Institute of Marine Research, told CNN there was no doubt the whale was trained. “It’s quite clear that the whale is searching out the boat, and that it’s used to being around boats. The whale is coming up with its head above the water, opening its mouth, which suggests that it’s expecting to be fed fish as a reward.” Wiig at the time added such training “is not conducted by researchers or anyone in Norway or Greenland. Researchers there do not use harnesses.” Wigg said whales were trained to ‘guard naval bases, help divers, and find lost equipment.” The whale was nicknamed Hvaldimir by a public poll in Norway, as per UPI. This, because Hvaldimir is close to the Russian name Vladimir. The whale was ultimately freed from its harness after which it swam away. “It was the best feeling ever,” Wiig told CNN. What has Hvaldimir been up to? CNN quoted the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries as saying Hvaldimir, a protected species in Norway, has been “travelling along the Norwegian coast” since 2019. The beluga whale “tends to stay at farms where it has been able to catch fish, grazing on surplus feed”, the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries has said. It added that Hvaldimir also follows boats and plays with passengers. The whale now lives in inner Oslofjord, as per CNN. NDTV quoted fisheries director Frank Bakke-Jensen as saying, “So far, there have only been minor incidents where the whale has suffered minor injuries, primarily from contact with boats. When it has now reached the inner Oslofjord, where the population density is much greater and where there are far more recreational boats gathered in a small area, the risk of injury or, in the worst case, death is much greater.” “We especially encourage people in boats to keep a good distance to avoid the whale being injured or, in the worst case, killed by boat traffic,” Bakke-Jensen added, as per UPI. ‘No reason to capture it’ While some groups have urged the directorate of fisheries to take Hvaldimir into their possession, that doesn’t seem to be on the cards. “We have always communicated that the whale in question is a free-living animal, and we see no reason to capture it and put it behind barriers. But when it is now in a more vulnerable area and access to food may be limited, we will consider different measures. But it is too early to say anything concrete about that yet,”  Bakke-Jensen added. “We hope it will turn around when it reaches the end of the Oslofjord,” Bakke-Jensen was quoted as saying by UPI. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.