The Russian beluga whale "Hvaldimir" in Norwegian waters in April 2019. (Archive photo) © Jorgen Ree Wiig/AFP
In 2019, spy whale "Hvaldimir" appeared for the first time. In the face of the Ukraine war, his behavior is now a mystery.
Stockhol/Oslo – For years, a suspected spy of the Russian navy was up to mischief off the coast of Norway. "Hvaldimir" was a welcome guest among the locals, and even an attraction for tourists. Now the beluga whale has continued its journey and has appeared off the shores of Sweden, where it was warmly welcomed by the local authorities – although they do not yet know what to do with it.
Spy whale appears in strategic areas
So far, the beluga whale has moved slowly in a southerly direction along the Norwegian coasts. Now naval experts are puzzling over his behavior, because in recent months "Hvaldimir" has suddenly picked up speed. Last Sunday (May 28), the whale appeared in Hunnebostrand, off Sweden's southwest coast, local authorities reported.
We can only speculate about the beluga's behavior. "We don't know why it's become so fast now," Sebastian Strand, a marine biologist at OneWhale, told The Guardian. The whale's rapid removal from its "natural environment" is particularly strange, but it could also have a natural cause: "It could be hormones that drive it to look for a partner. Or loneliness, since belugas are a very social species – it could be that he is looking for other beluga whales," Strand said. This is quite normal for a beluga whale at the age of 13 to 14 years.
According to biologists, the route is rather unusual for the marine mammals that otherwise live far north. Usually, beluga whales live near Greenland or the waters of the Russian or Norwegian Arctic. The Barents Sea and the North Atlantic, where the whale appeared, are strategic areas for both the Russian and Western navies.
"Hvaldimir" was equipment of "St. Petersburg"
In 2019, the beluga whale was first observed by Norwegian fishermen. As he pressed their boats again and again, the boatmen noticed the strange harness that the whale was wearing around its body. A belt with the inscription "Equipment of St. Petersburg" and a camera mount suggested that the animal could be the remnant of a program of the Russian Navy. The Russian Defense Ministry denied the existence of such a program at the time, but in an ad obtained by The Washington Post, the ministry allegedly sought out aquatic mammals for espionage purposes.
US media also reported shortly after the start of the Ukraine war that President Vladimir Putin is using trained dolphins to protect his fleet in the Black Sea. Ukrainian researchers then blamed Russia for the deaths of several thousand dolphins.
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At the time, the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries speculated that "Hvaldimir" had escaped from captivity and had been trained by the Russian Navy. The beluga whale was christened after a play on words that connects its presumed homeland and its first appearance: Its name is made up of the Norwegian word "hval" for whale and the first name "Vladimir" after the Russian president.
What's next for Russia's spy whale?
It is not unlikely that "Hvaldimir" was already in close contact with people before his appearance. According to Vanessa Pirotta, wildlife researcher and former marine mammal trainer, this can be seen in the route taken by the beluga whale. Accordingly, it is not clear what could have driven the whale away from the peaceful waters towards populated areas at that time. It is "very likely that he is seeking human contact," The Wahsington Post quotes the marine expert as saying. Since then, he has regularly sought contact with the coast. "Hvaldimir" became a local celebrity in May 2019 when he dived a woman's smartphone that had fallen into the sea out of the water in the village of Hammerfest on the north coast of Norway and brought it back.
His preference for human interaction is a central point in the debate about how to deal with "Hvaldimir". Conservationists are campaigning for a protected nature reserve for the whale in order to rehabilitate it and accustom it to a return to the wild beluga population. Accommodation in a demarcated area would be a step backwards, Pirotta fears. "Hvaldimir" already lives in the wild and has become accustomed to contact with people. Integration into the wild population is now particularly difficult. (aa/afp)