2023-06-09 14:39:43
A beluga, or white whale, has been spotted in the waters around the Arctic Circle and is suspected to have been trained as a spy by the Russians.
2019-ben In Norway, one of the northernmost towns in the world, Hammerfest, fishermen spotted a lone beluga. The cetacean, as they approached it, was revealed to have a harness around its neck with a camera attached to it, and on which the “St. Petersburg Equipment” was captioned.
According to local experts, it is probably an animal trained by the Russians for military purposes. Now the beluga is back, but this time in the waters of Sweden, reported the local authorities and the Norwegian organization OneWhale, which was founded in 2019 to monitor and protect the beluga in question.
The cetacean is one of the world’s approximately 200,000 remaining belugas, which have been victims of big game hunting for centuries, first by native American and Russian populations and then internationally in the 19th and 20th centuries. Efforts to protect the beluga have been successful, so much so that the species until 2008 “vulnerable”then until 2017 “moderately threatened” qualified, when also status “not threatened” was repaired.
However, the species is still very vulnerable from a numerical point of view, and every individual needs to be protected. Even the Russian spy: when first spotted in 2019, the beluga was christened Hvaldimir, a play on hval (Norwegian for “whale”) and Vladimir, Putin.
There are several signs that Hvaldimir may have had a past in the Russian military (although it’s unclear whether he’s on a mission or a deserter seeking his freedom): the camera around his neck might be enough, but there’s also the fact that the beluga it shows no fear of humans and is happy to approach fishermen’s boats to seek interaction.
He wouldn’t be the first animal trained for espionage and reconnaissance missions, but judging by his behavior, it’s more likely that Hvaldimir isn’t “on duty” has: after enjoying Norwegian waters for four years, he is now doing the same in Sweden. But OneWhale would love to bring him back to Hammerfest, where the organization is already working on creating a marine reserve just for him.
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