Animal lovers—and, perhaps, intelligence officials—are mourning the loss of Hvaldimir, a beluga whale and alleged “Russian spy” who was found dead Saturday in the waters off Risavika, a port city in southwest Norway. In an obituary piece, the New York Timesspoke with Mark Strand, the founder of Marine Mind, a non-profit focused on the whale’s welfare and broader advocacy for marine life. “It’s heartbreaking,” Strand told the Times. “He’s touched thousands of people’s hearts just here in Norway.” Hvaldimir first made headlines in 2019 when he was discovered swimming in Norwegian waters. Upon closer inspection, he appeared to have been strapped with a harness holding a camera mount labeled as “‘equipment’ from St. Petersburg”—hence the spy theory, although the country has never claimed the whale as one of its operatives. (It’s not porpoise-terous to believe the country might’ve employed the whale for reconnaissance. As NPR once reported, Russia has previously used dolphins to patrol a naval base.) Hvaldimir was well-known for his good-natured demeanor, like in this September 2019 YouTube video where he playfully stole a traveler’s GoPro. His comfort around humans led Strand to believe the 2,700-pound marine mammal had been “in captivity for a lot of his life.” Or, perhaps, spy school.
