Russian 'spy' whale Hvaldimir found dead in Norway, five years after mysterious harness discovery

He was a spy like no other, existing underwater without a need for oxygen. Truly one of a kind, he defied human comparison¡ªbecause he wasn't human at all. Now, as per news reports, the celebrated Russian spy whale, Hvaldimir, has just been found dead.

Local media said that Hvaldimir was discovered on Saturday by a father and son fishing near Risavika in southern Norway. Non-profit Marine Mind founder Strand later told Yahoo News that the situation had been "chaotic" after Hvaldimir¡¯s death, and he was working to ensure the whale was treated with the proper respect.

Marine Mind had been tracking Hvaldimir's movements daily.

Not an ordinary whale

Known as Hvaldimir, the Russian spy whale, this fascinating beluga made headlines in 2019 when he was found in Norwegian waters wearing a harness.

The harness, labelled "equipment of St. Petersburg," sparked widespread speculation that he might have been involved in a Russian spy mission.

Credit: Jorgen Ree Wiig/Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, via Reuters

The mystery grew as Russia never confirmed ownership, leaving people to wonder if Hvaldimir was a secret agent or simply a whale caught in a bizarre situation.

Spy or not, Hvaldimir was an unusually friendly whale - often choosing to stay in bustling waters close to humans, unlike typical Beluga whales, which usually travel in groups and live in remote Arctic regions. Yahoo News quotes Mr. Strand, who noted, "He was completely acclimatized to human culture," and suggested that Hvaldimir seemed to have "been in captivity for a lot of his life."

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