Was Hvaldimir, the Russian ‘spy whale’, killed? Mystery deepens over death of the famous white beluga

Five days ago, on Saturday (August 31), a father and son out fishing off the Norwegian coast found the carcass of Hvaldimir, the famous white beluga whale. However, on Wednesday (September 4), came a twist in the death of the 14-foot-long, 2,700-pound whale, when two animal rights groups alleged that Hvaldimir was “shot to death”.

The groups have even filed a police report, with experts asking — Who killed Hvaldimir?

We take a closer look at how the white beluga whale became famous and the mystery that now shrouds his death.

Mystery around Hvaldimir’s death

Norwegian public broadcaster NRK on Saturday (August 31) reported that the whale carcass was found floating at the Risavika Bay in southern Norway by a father and son who were fishing. The whale was then taken out of the water and moved to a nearby harbour for experts to examine it.

More from Explainers

How ChatGPT is becoming everyone’s BFF and why that’s dangerous This Week in Explainers: How recovering from Gen-Z protests is a Himalayan task for Nepal

“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.

However, on Wednesday (September 4), two animal rights organisations, OneWhale and NOAH, said there was “compelling evidence suggesting that Hvaldimir’s death was caused by intentional human-inflicted injury.”

OneWhale founder Regina Haug said she had viewed Hvaldimir’s body on Monday, telling AFP: “He had multiple bullet wounds around his body.”

She added, “When I saw his body and the multiple injuries, I immediately knew he had been killed by gunshots.”

Impact Shorts

More Shorts

Ghaziabad woman dead, pilgrims attacked in bus… How Nepal’s Gen-Z protests turned into a living hell for Indian tourists

Were bodyguards involved in Charlie Kirk’s shooting? The many conspiracies surrounding the killing

“I even saw a bullet lodged in his body,” she continued. “There is no question that this kind, gentle animal was senselessly murdered.”

NOAH, the other animal rights group, also stated that there were injuries that could not rule out a criminal act. Siri Martinsen, a veterinarian and the leader of the group said: “The injuries on the whale are alarming and of a nature that cannot rule out a criminal act — it is shocking.”

She further stated: “Given the suspicion of a criminal act, it is crucial that the police are involved quickly. Hvaldimir was significant to many, and all facts must be brought to light regarding his death.”

The two groups have filed a complaint with the Sandnes Police District and the Norwegian National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime. The Sør-West police has confirmed that they have received a report from the groups and would assess it to see if an investigation is warranted. It had no further comment on the case.

However, notably, neither group speculated as to who could be behind Hvaldimir’s death. Martinsen was quoted as telling Business Insider, “We have no information about that, and that is why we are filing a report this early in the process.”

Even Sebastian Strand, the founder of Marine Mind, an organisation that cared for Hvladimir, said that he wasn’t going to jump to conclusions on who killed the white beluga whale.

Hvaldimir’s popularity

Hvaldimir, which is a combination of the Norwegian word for whale, “hval,” and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first name, first made headlines in 2019 when he was found near the island of Ingoya in Norway’s northern waters, approximately 300 kilometres from the Russian maritime border.

Locals became curious to see Hvaldimir in the water, as Beluga whales tend to move in groups and typically live further north, in colder Arctic waters around Greenland, Canada, Alaska, northern Norway, and Russia.

Another aspect that made Hvaldimir even more intriguing was the harness that the whale — measuring 14 feet — was seen wearing, read “Equipment St Petersburg” in Russia. The harness also had a camera mount, causing many to speculate that Hvaldimir was a Russian spy, sent on a reconnaissance mission to the Nordic coast.

Russia has never commented on the discovery of the whale or the harness on it.

However, if a spy, Hvaldimir was perhaps the friendliest of spies ever. He enjoyed playing with people, and went viral over the years — for retrieving a kayaker’s GoPro camera, playing fetch with a rugby ball and playing with an underwater drone.

But his encounters with humans weren’t always fun. NPR reports that the gentle giant bore scars from being hit by multiple boats, and experts warned that he faced lower odds of survival as a “solitary sociable individual.” Concerns had grown last year when he was spotted in Sweden, which has more people and fewer fish than Norway.

Animals used as spies

It has never been confirmed or denied if Hvaldimir was indeed a spy. However, if he was, he wasn’t the first animal to be involved in espionage. During World War I, pigeons were used not only to ferry messages in the frontline, they were also used as spies with little cameras fitted to their legs.

And as recently as May 2023, the Mumbai Police caught a pigeon with two rings tied to its legs, carrying words that “looked like Chinese”. It was later set free after authorities said it was an open-water racing bird from Taiwan which had escaped.

Amidst the Cold War, the US Navy, it is reported, had trained dolphins to detect submarines and underwater mines. In the ’60s, America’s CIA deployed cats as part of Project Acoustic Kitty. These felines were wired with a microphone and transmitter, to monitor conversations between foreign agents and their Soviet handlers.

There’s also reports of other animals being used in espionage activities — ranging from rats to squirrels.

With inputs from agencies