Hvaldimirthe super sociable beluga that had won the hearts of Norwegians, was found dead in the port of Stavangerin the southwest of the Norway. The name “Hvaldimir” it’s a play on words between “Hval“, which means whale in Norwegian, and “Vladimir“, the name of the Russian president Putin. The animal had become famous in the 2019 when it was first sighted by fishermen in Hammerfestin the’Norwegian Arcticwearing a strap for GoPro with the inscription “equipment of St. Petersburg“. This led to speculation that he had been trained as a “spy” by the Russian military in Murmansk.
Sebastian Strandmarine biologist for the nonprofit Marine Mindhas monitored Hvaldimir for years. He was called when the beluga was found dead in the harbor, saying: “It broke my heart.” Strand assured that the carcass will be preserved for a necropsy which will determine the cause of death. “It is too early to speculate on the cause of death,” he added, stressing that Hvaldimir he appeared to be in good health.
The beluga had come a long way from Arctic Sea to the Swedish coast, where it had been sighted at Gothenburg last year during the national holiday. Eden MacLachlanpresent on that occasion, said: “It’s a memory that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Seeing a mammal so close is incredible.” The Norwegian also Daniel Larsena whale enthusiast, had a close encounter with Hvaldimir in a fjord: “He came right over, he was kind and curious. We started high-fiving him and he pulled us by pulling the rope of the boat, as if he were a horse.”
There necropsy will be carried out tomorrow, and in the next few days it is expected that veterinarians will be able to reveal the cause of death of the much-loved beluga.