The Many Questions About Hvaldimir’s Death
By Mark J. Palmer
On August 31st, the little “spy” whale, Hvaldimir, was found dead floating off the coast of Norway. The mystery of how the beluga whale died is still in question, but Norwegian police offered a preliminary assessment.
Hvaldimir (a pun with hvald being “whale” in Norwegian, and Vladimir, the name of Russia’s president) first showed up off the Norwegian coast in 2019, approaching fishermen and wearing an odd harness that was labeled “product of St. Petersburg”. Many assume Hvaldimir, a beautiful and friendly white beluga, had likely been part of Russia’s military dolphins program, hence the “spy” whale moniker.
Environmentalists and marine mammal experts came to observe Hvaldimir and assess steps that might be taken to protect him. An early proposal to establish a seaside sanctuary was abandoned, and most experts felt simply keeping an eye on him was the best approach, although more radical proposals did surface from time to time.
One Whale, a group formed to protect Hvaldimir early on, which lost credibility with experts in the field, announced that Hvaldimir had been shot. One Whale circulated photographs of Hvaldimir’s body showing some round bloody wounds. Speculation swirled online that maybe Vladimir Putin decided to execute his spy whale.
Police in Norway, however, issued a press release with preliminary results from the ongoing necropsy (like an autopsy for humans, only for animals), stating no bullets were found within Hvaldimir’s body. The wounds described by One Whale came from something else, not bullets, and were superficial and not related to what killed Hvaldimir.
Furthermore, the police noted there was a stick caught in Hvaldimir’s throat and his stomach was empty.
Full results of the necropsy, conducted by the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, should be available in another two weeks.
Hvaldimir was a big celebrity in Norway, attracting crowds, even being fed. Clearly, he had been in captivity in close quarters with humans, likely for several years. His “defection” to the West was cause for curiosity and pride among his admirers.
Eye of a Beluga Whale. Photo Credit: Mark J. Palmer
His death at an early age (he was believed to be about 15 years old) is a tragedy in a world that has seen too many tragedies.
We will miss hearing stories about Hvaldimir and his travels along the Norwegian coast, a white emissary of the dolphin family.
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Hvaldimir somehow escaped captivity from Russia’s military dolphin program, but likely still suffered from the loss of his family pod, which could have helped sustain him. Many similar beluga whales are now in captivity, suffering as Hvaldimir once did.
The International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute is working to end captivity of beluga whales and other small whales and dolphins around the world. IMMP collaborated with Russian marine activist allies to stop captures of wild beluga whales in the Russian Pacific for sale to Chinese entertainment companies.
We are now working to retire beluga whales, orcas, and other captive dolphins from small, concrete tanks to seaside sanctuaries. Your donations help belugas like Hvaldimir and orcas like Keiko. Please donate today. Thank you!
