News

‘Russian Spy’ Beluga Whale Reportedly Killed Mysteriously By Gunshot Wounds

On Wednesday, marine non-profits NOAH and OneWhale filed a police report that Hvaldimir, the beloved beluga whale and alleged Russian spy, was killed by gunfire.

The whale, first seen in 2019, made frequent appearances along the coast of Norway over the years and was known to wear a harness with mounts for a camera and an inscription that read “Equipment St. Petersburg.” This sparked the theory that the beluga had escaped from a Russian military facility, and he became affectionately known as “Hvaldimir,” his name a combination of the Norwegian word for whale, “Hval,” and Vladimir Putin.

Hvaldimir was found dead last weekend in the harbor of Stavanger.

Although marine biologist Sebastian Strang had initially reported Hvaldimir’s cause of death to be unclear, with no external injuries visible, OneWhale and NOAH have claimed there was “compelling evidence suggesting that Hvaldimir’s death was caused by intentional human-inflicted injury” and shared photos on Instagram of the alleged whale’s lifeless body with bloody purported bullet holes.

In the Instagram post, OneWhale wrote, “Several veterinarians, biologists, and ballistics experts have reviewed [the] evidence of Hvaldimir’s injuries, determining that the whale’s death was the result of a criminal act.”

An autopsy is in process and will likely take weeks to yield any information. In a statement, the Norwegian Veterinary Institute said: “We have, together with the Directorate of Fisheries of Norway, been in contact with the police ahead of the autopsy and will, of course, involve them if we uncover anything indicating anything suspicious.” 

Before Hvaldimir’s death, OneWhale and NOAH had been campaigning to relocate the whale to safer waters in northern Norway.

Baila Eve Zisman

Recent Posts

VIDEO: Emergency Teams Look For Missing People After Deadly Flooding in Spain

https://youtu.be/4Z2y2PSZ5ug Spanish emergency teams were still looking for missing people in the Valencia province following…

14 mins ago

VIDEO: Couple & Their Two Dogs Rescued By Boat From Flooded Home In Valencia

https://youtu.be/iwfEEvm3ttk Firefighters in Alzira, Spain, rescued a couple and their two dogs on Tuesday, October…

58 mins ago

Radiohead Frontman Thom Yorke Walks Off Stage After Being Heckled By Audience Member For Pro-Israel Stance

On Oct. 30, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke walked off the stage during a solo performance…

2 hours ago

Richard Gere Sells $11 Million Connecticut Home To Move To Spain With His Wife’s Family

Actor Richard Gere has sold his New Canaan, Connecticut, home for $10.75 million in preparation…

2 hours ago

Calls Grow For Boxer Imane Khelif’s Olympic Gold Medal To Be Stripped After Report Claims She Is ‘Biologically A Man’

After a "leaked" report claiming she is a biological man, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif's Olympic…

3 hours ago

Tropicana Field May Be ‘Unsalvageable,’ Needs $39 Million Worth Of Repairs Following Damage From Hurricane Milton

Tampa's Tropicana Field may be "unsalvageable" after being severely damaged during Hurricane Milton last month.…

4 hours ago