A beluga whale suspected of being trained by Russia as a spy has been found dead off the coast of Norway.
The animal’s carcass – nicknamed Hvaldimir – was found floating off the southwestern town of Risavika and taken to the nearest port for examination.
The whale was first spotted in Norwegian waters five years ago with a GoPro camera attached to a harness marked “Equipment of St Petersburg”.
This has sparked speculation that the mammal could be a spy whale – something experts say has happened in the past. Moscow has never responded to the allegations.
Hvaldimir’s body was discovered over the weekend by Marine Mind, an organization that has been tracking his journey for years.
Marine Mind founder Sebastian Strand told AFP the cause of death was still unknown and Hvaldimir’s body had no obvious injuries.
“We have recovered its remains and placed it in a cool area, in preparation for an autopsy by the veterinary institute,” he told AFP news agency.
At an estimated age of around 15, Hvaldimir is not old for a beluga whale, which can live up to 60 years.
He first approached Norwegian ships in April 2019 near Ingoya Island, about 415 km (260 miles) from Murmansk, home to Russia’s Northern Fleet.
The sighting attracted attention because beluga whales are rarely seen in the remote southern reaches of the Arctic.
The discovery led to an investigation by Norway’s domestic intelligence agency, which later said the whale may have been trained by the Russian military because it appeared accustomed to humans.
The whale is known locally as Hvaldimir, a play on the Norwegian word “hval” for whale and President Vladimir Putin.
Russia has a history of training marine mammals such as dolphins for military purposes and The Barents Observer website has identified whale beaches near a naval base in the northwestern region of Murmansk..
Russia has never officially addressed the claim that Hvaldimir may have been trained by the Russian military. Russia has previously denied the existence of any program to train marine mammals as spies.
