Identity of ‘Russian spy whale’ Hvaldimir finally revealed
The world-famous beluga whale thought to have been trained as a Russian spy and later found dead under fishy circumstances is now starring in his own documentary.
“Secrets of the Spy Whale,” which aired this week on BBC Two, tells the story of Hvaldimir — the friendly, 2,700-pound aquatic mammal spotted by fishermen off the coast of Norway in April 2019 wearing a harness and what appeared to be a mount for an action camera.
His unusual attire — coupled with his friendly demeanor — gave way to speculation that he may have escaped after being forcibly enlisted to conduct intelligence-gathering operations for Russia, which has been known to utilize aquatic mammals for espionage.
But a Russian marine mammal expert interviewed for the documentary has cast doubt on at least some aspects of his backstory.
Dr. Olga Shpak said she believes Hvaldimir was indeed conscripted by the Russian military and escaped from a naval base in the Arctic Circle, which he was being trained to guard.
She threw water on allegations he was involved in anything cloak-and-dagger, saying instead it was more likely he fled because he was a “hooligan.”
Although Russia has never publicly confirmed or denied any connection to the beluga, Shpak said after he was first sighted near Norway the Russian marine animal community “immediately” identified him as one of their own, according to the BBC.
The subsequent chain of messages kicked off among trainers and veterinarians in the country all referenced a missing beluga named Andruha, according to Shpak, who said he was captured in the Sea of Okhostk in 2013.
A year later, she told the outlet, Andruha/Hvaldimir was transported from a dolphinarium in St. Petersburg to the Russian Arctic for military training, but the willful creature couldn’t be contained for long.
“I believe that when they started to work in open water, trusting this animal (not to swim away), the animal just gave up on them,” she said.
“What I’ve heard from the guys at the commercial dolphinarium who used to have him was that Andruha was smart, so a good choice to be trained. But at the same time, he was kind of like a hooligan – an active beluga – so they were not surprised that he gave up on (following) the boat and went where he wanted to.”
But like so many others who dabble in Russian military affairs, Andruha/Hvaldimir met his demise under mysterious circumstances, discovered floating lifeless off the coast of Norway, riddled with injuries activists claimed were bullet holes.
But after an autopsy, it turned out the whale’s death wasn’t anything so dramatic, and not even the result of human activities.
A preliminary report shared by Norwegian police said there was no shooting at all and that the injuries portrayed in the activists’ photographs were superficial and did not contribute to the whale’s demise.
Investigators found a 14-inch-long and approximately 1.2-inch-wide stick was found stuck inside his mouth. His stomach was empty, and he was experiencing widespread organ failure.
