Russian ‘spy’ whale was ‘shot’ dead

Hvaldimir, the Beluga whale, was found dead in the Norwegian harbour of Stavanger last weekend

A Beluga whale suspected of being a Russian spy has been shot dead, two animal rights groups have claimed. 
Two conservation groups filed a police report on Wednesday alleging that the animal, called Hvaldimir, was killed by gunfire, NBC News reported. 
However, officials told the US outlet that a definitive assessment from an autopsy could take up to three weeks.
Hvaldimir was first spotted by fishermen not far from the Arctic city of Hammerfest in 2019.
The whale was wearing a harness that read “Equipment St. Petersburg”, lending to the theory that he might have been trained by Russia as a “spy whale.”
The highly sociable beluga was found dead last weekend in the harbour of Stavanger, a city in Norway’s southwest.
Almost as soon as he was found dead, rumours began to circulate and the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries ordered an autopsy.
On Wednesday, OneWhale and NOAH said there was “compelling evidence suggesting that Hvaldimir’s death was caused by intentional human-inflicted injury”.
The groups shared photos with what appear to be streaks of blood and holes in the lifeless body of the whale and claimed preliminary findings suggested the whale was killed by gunshot wounds.
NBC News said it could not independently verify the nature of the apparent injuries.
“Several veterinarians, biologists, and ballistics experts have reviewed photographic evidence, including close-ups of Hvaldimir’s injuries,” their statement said.
“Their assessments strongly suggest that the whale’s death was the result of a criminal act, prompting the need for immediate police involvement.”
Regina Haug, founder of OneWhale, told NBC News that “the whale knew and loved was a strong, capable and energetic animal yet so gentle, with a sweet and cheeky personality”.
After seeing Hvaldimir lifeless, she added: “It felt like my heart had fallen into my stomach. The pain of losing him to a senseless killing is an anguish which, right now, feels impossible to fix.”
Norway’s Sør-West police issued a statement on Wednesday confirming they had received the groups’ report and would consider if an investigation is warranted.
The Norwegian Veterinary Institute told NBC News in an emailed statement on Wednesday that Hvaldimir’s autopsy was still ongoing and they could not yet comment on results.
“We have, together with the Directorate of Fisheries of Norway, been in contact with the police ahead of the autopsy, and will of course involve them if we uncover anything indicating anything suspicious,” the statement said.
“The Norwegian Veterinary Institute has a lot of experiences working with forensic cases.”