SHOWS: Hvaldimir
STORY: A beluga whale that became famous for suspicions it was trained to spy for Russia was found dead off the coast of Norway over the weekend.
:: Jorgen Ree Wiig / Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries
Norway’s public broadcaster reported that a father and son spotted the whale’s body –
– but that it was not clear what caused his death.
The whale, nicknamed ‘Hvaldimir’ – a mash-up of the Norwegian word for whale, ‘hval’, and Vladimir Putin’s first name – was discovered in Norwegian waters five years ago.
At that time he was wearing a harness with what appeared to be a small camera mount.
Hvaldimir was very interested in people and seemed to respond to hand signals,
leading Norwegian intelligence to suspect the whale had been trained in captivity in Russia before crossing into Norway’s waters.
The nonprofit that had been monitoring the whale, Marine Mind, said Monday (September 2) that Hvaldimir was not just a whale, but quote, “a reminder of the deep bond between humans and the natural world.”
Moscow has never responded to allegations about the whale.
Source Agencies
