‘Russian spy whale’ Hvaldimir shot in Norwegian waters, vets say

In the report, they raised the possibility of “intentional human-caused injury,” their statement said.

“When I saw his body and the multiple injuries, I knew right away that he was killed by gunshots,” Regina Haug, the founder of OneWhale, who was involved in Hvaldimir’s protection, said in the statement.

“I even saw a bullet lodged in his body,” she continued. “There is no doubt that this kind and gentle animal was senselessly killed.”

Animal rights groups provided Business Insider with images of the whale’s body, which appeared to show bullet holes.

The inanimate body of Hvaldimir it was discovered by a teenage fisherman and his father near the town of Risavika on Saturday morning.

Hvaldimir was thought to be about 15 years old, and beluga whales can live up to 60 years in the wild.

Its name was a pun on the Norwegian word for “whale” and the name of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, according to the label “Equipment St. Petersburg” on his GoPro harness and camera when he was spotted off the northern coast of Norway in 2019.

That view fueled a theory that Hvaldimir was trained by the Russian armywhich has a marine animal use history such as dolphins and beluga whales.

Hvaldimir gained celebrity status in Norway with viral videos showing the whale returning lost objects to their owners and playing with a rugby ball.

Hvaldimir’s death comes amid rising tensions between Russia and Norway, an active NATO member that has been ramping up military drills and exercises in the region amid fears of Russian aggression.

“The injuries on the whale are alarming and of a nature that cannot rule out a criminal act – it is shocking,” Siri Martinsen, a veterinarian and leader of the animal rights group NOAH, said in the statement.

She added: “Given the suspicion of foul play, it is essential that the police are involved quickly. Hvaldimir was significant to many and all the facts about his death must be brought to light.”

In a conversation with Business Insider, Martinsen said it was unclear who shot Hvaldimir.

“No, we don’t have information on that and that’s why we’re filing a report early in the process,” she said.

Martinsen said that before the whale’s death, her organization assessed the risk level of Russia trying to kill or capture the whale as “extremely low”.

Sebastian Strand, the founder of Marine Mind, an organization linked to Hvladimir, told BI that he expected to draw any conclusions, describing the allegations as “speculation”.

He added that Norway’s veterinary institute “has not yet published its findings”.

In a follow-up message, Strand confirmed that the photos show “suspected bullet wounds” and that “the same thought has, of course, crossed everyone’s mind,” but cautioned against “jumping the gun.”

A spokesman for the Norwegian Veterinary Institute said he could not comment on any results because Hvladimir’s autopsy was still ongoing.

In an email to the BI, they said: “We have, together with the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, been in contact with the police before the post-mortem and we will of course involve them if we discover anything that indicates anything suspicious.”