A beloved beluga whale nicknamed Hvaldimir, who became notorious after being found in 2019 with a harness that sparked rumors it might be a Russian spy whale, has been found dead, according to multiple reports.
Norwegian public broadcaster NFK reported the whale’s body was found floating in a harbor off of southern Norway on Saturday by a father and son who were out fishing.
The 14-foot, 2,700-pound white beluga was taken out of the water by a crane, and experts will examine it to determine a cause of death, NFK said.
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Hvaldimir — a name that combines the Norwegian word “hval” for whale and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first name — was first spotted by fishermen near Russian waters in April 2019.
The whale was wearing a harness that read “Equipment St. Petersburg” and appeared to be a mount for a camera, sparking rumors that it was a Russian spy whale.
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The military use of marine animals is something that has been well documented over the years, but Moscow never claimed Hvaldimir.
The friendly beluga became a fixture around the waters of Norway, and its response to hand signals and other human interactions led others to believe it may have been a therapy whale of some sort.
