The whale had been seen in several Norwegian coastal towns in recent years, including at salmon farming sites.
Hvaldimir, the beluga whale famously believed to have been trained by the Russian military, has been found dead off Norway’s southwest coast near Risavika Bay.
The whale, first spotted in 2019 wearing a mysterious harness, had become a well-known figure along the Norwegian coast, including for his visits to salmon farming sites.
“The guys were out removing dead fish when they saw Hvaldimir. He said it to his buddy, who thought it was just nonsense. However, it turned out that it was Hvaldimir, who appeared at the boat,” workboat operator Tor Espen Olaussen told SalmonBusiness in 2019.
“I also went out with the Polarcirkel boat. Hvaldimir came to my boat and greeted me. I patted him a little, and said hello,” Olaussen said.
The employees at the site got pictures of Hvaldimir, who was in the area for about ten minutes, before swimming into the fjord and leaving the salmon farm.
“It was a very fun experience. The young people who were on a summer job at least got the experience of their lives,” Olaussen added.
Hvaldimir is dead
Hvaldimir was discovered floating by a father and son who were out fishing. Norwegian officials quickly moved his remains to a harbor for a necropsy to determine the cause of death, though no major external injuries were visible.
Hvaldimir was 4.2 metres (14ft) long, weighed 1,225kg (2,700 pounds) and was thought to be between 14 and 15 years old.
Norwegian media speculated that rather than being a “spy whale”, Hvaldimir had actually been a “therapy whale” of some kind.
Beluga whales, whose habitat is the northern waters of Greenland, Norway and Russia, usually live to between 40 and 60 years of age.
After Hvaldimir was found dead, his carcass was lifted out of the water with a crane and taken to a nearby harbour for further examination.
“We’ve managed to retrieve his remains and put him in a cooled area, in preparation for a necropsy by the veterinary institute that can help determine what really happened to him,” marine biologist Sebastian Strand told NRK, adding that no major external injuries were visible on the animal.
Strand, who has monitored Hvaldimir’s adventures for the past three years on behalf of Marine Mind, said he was deeply affected by the whale’s sudden death.
“It’s absolutely horrible,” Strand said. “He was apparently in good condition as of [Friday). So we just have to figure out what might have happened here.”
