An autopsy performed by police experts confirmed that Hvaldimir he was not shot, as environmental activists claimed.
Due to the lack of evidence of direct human involvement in the death of the animal, the investigation into this case was discontinued.
Hvaldimir. Police released the results of the investigation
On August 31, the body of a whale was found near the city Risavikaon the southwestern coast Norway. After the case two notifications were submitted by ecologiststhe Norwegian police have initiated an investigation. One of the founders of the organization WhaleRegina Haug, even claimed to have seen “multiple gunshot wounds” in the carcass.
The first photos, posted by Whale on social media, seemed to confirm environmentalists’ suspicions.
– The injuries on the whale's body are alarming and of a nature that cannot rule out a criminal act. This is shocking – the director of the organization said at the time NoahSiri Martinsen.
However, the research carried out showed that the death of the beluga whale was caused by 35 cm stick, 3 cm widewhich stuck in her mouth. Police also reported that Hvaldimir suffered only superficial injuries.
It is worth noting that 15 year old whalemeasuring 4.2 meters and weighing 1,225 kilograms, was not old for a beluga whale, because individuals of this species they can live up to 60 years old.
Hvaldimir. Russian spy?
Hvaldimir became popular in April 2019.when he was found in Norwegian waters with a camera strapped to his body with a label suggesting the tool belonged to St. Petersburg authorities. Then people began to suspect that the whale might be a spy sent by Russian intelligence.
The name Hvaldimir is a combination of the word “hval” (Norwegian for whale) and the name of the Russian dictator. Vladimir Putin.
The beluga whale first approached Norwegian boats near Ingoya Island, approx. 415 km from Murmanskwhere the Russian Northern Fleet is stationed. This is quite unusual, because beluga whales are very rarely seen this far away south of Arctic.
In addition, Russia has a history marine mammal trainingsuch as dolphins, for military purposes, and the Barents Observer website identified whale pens near naval bases in the north-west of Murmansk.