The white beluga was found by a father and son fishing in Risika Bay on the southwest coast.
A beluga whale named Hvaldimir, whose strange collar had raised suspicions that it was a Russian spy, has been found dead in southwest Norway.
The whale’s carcass was found floating on Saturday by a father and son who were fishing in Risvika Bay in southern Norway, Norwegian public broadcaster NRK reports.
“Hvaldimir wasn’t just a beluga whale; he was a beacon of hope, a symbol of connection, and a reminder of the deep bond between humans and the natural world,” Marine Mind, a nonprofit that was tracking his movements, said on social media.
Hvaldimir, a combination of the Norwegian word for whale “hval” and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was first spotted off Norway’s far northern coast in 2019.
His man-made harness, which appeared to be a mount for a camera and bore the words “Equipment St. Petersburg”, fueling speculation that he was a “spy whale”.
Norwegian authorities said Hvaldimir had likely escaped from an enclosure and was trained by the Russian navy, as he appeared to be accustomed to living with humans.
Moscow never responded to these speculations.
After Hvaldimir was found dead, his body was pulled out of the water with the help of a crane and taken to a nearby port for further investigation.
“We have managed to retrieve his remains and have placed him in a cold area in preparation for an autopsy by the veterinary institute, which will help determine what really happened to him,” marine biologist Sebastian Strand told NRK, adding that there were no major external injuries visible on the animal.
Strand, who has been following Hvaldimir’s adventures for the past three years on behalf of Marine Mind, said he was deeply saddened by the whale’s sudden death.
“It’s absolutely terrifying,” Strand said. “He was obviously in good shape [Friday). So we just have to figure out what might have happened here.”
Hvaldimir was 4.2 metres (14ft) long, weighed 1,225kg (2,700 pounds) and was thought to be between 14 and 15 years old.
Over the past five years, he had been seen in several Norwegian coastal towns and it was clear that he was very tame and enjoyed playing with people, NRK said.
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.
