Hvaldimir (; – 31 August 2024) was a maleHanne Bernhardsen Nordvåg, "Hva kan du om Hvaldimir?" [What do you know about Hvaldimir?], NRK Finnmark, 31 August 2019 (in Norwegian): "Hvaldimir svømte på rygg med flagget til topps." [Hvaldimir was swimming on his back with his flag flying.] beluga whale that fishermen near Hammerfest in northern Norway noticed in April 2019 wearing a camera harness. After being freed from the harness, he remained in the area and appeared used to humans. Speculation that he had been trained by Russia as a spy whale led to him being dubbed Hvaldimir, a portmanteau of Norwegian (whale) and "Vladimir", for Russian President Vladimir Putin. By 2023, Hvaldimir's range appeared to have expanded to include areas of the south-western coastline of Sweden. On 31 August 2024, Hvaldimir was found dead in the bay of Risavika, close to Stavanger in Norway. Activist groups claimed he died from gunfire, but the following necropsy confirmed that was not the case.
According to Ukrainian marine researcher Olga Shpak, the whale was named Andruha and was captured in the Sea of Okhotsk in 2013. The whale spent a year in St. Petersburg and then was moved to a Russian military naval base in Murmansk, where he eventually escaped.
Appearances and reactions
The whale appeared beginning on 26 April 2019 north of Hammerfest, off the island of Ingøya and near the village of Tufjord on the island of Rolvsøya, wearing a tight-fitting camera harness labelled "Equipment St. Petersburg", and rubbing against boats in apparent attempts to free himself."Trodde telefonen var tapt. Så kom 'Hvaldimir' til unnsetning" [She thought the phone was gone. Then 'Hvaldimir' came to the rescue], Dagbladet, 5 May 2019 (in Norwegian; with 2 videos)."Russian 'spy whale' may have provided therapy for children", Deutsche Welle, 8 May 2019. Animal rescue staff and fishers worked to free him from the harness. A fisherman named Joar Hesten finally put on a survival suit and jumped over the side of the boat to loosen the harness buckles. The whale continued to return to the boats for several days, asking for food and playing fetch,"Russian 'spy whale' makes Norwegian friends", BBC News, 29 April 2019 (video, 46 secs).Håvard Hesten, "'Russian spy whale'", BBC News, 29 April 2019 (video, 1 min 33 secs, subtitles)."Norway finds 'Russian spy whale' off Arctic coast", BBC News, 29 April 2019 (includes the Hesten video) and showed himself to be very tame, coming when called and liking to be scratched around the blowhole.Jon Henley, "'Russian spy' whale has defected to Norway, locals claim", The Guardian, 2 May 2019 (with video, 48 secs)."Meet the world's friendliest escaped Russian spy whale", Navy Times, 30 April 2019. He later followed a boat to Hammerfest harbour.Jan Harald Tomassen and Allan Klo, "Vurderer å flytte 'Hvaldimir' til Island" [Considering moving 'Hvaldimir' to Iceland], NRK, 6 May 2019 (in Norwegian).
The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries and the police urged the public not to feed the whale"Hvithvalen i Hammerfest" [The Beluga whale in Hammerfest], Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, 6 May 2019 (in Norwegian). and to leave him alone to avoid stressing him. There was concern he might become aggressiveFinn Irgens Myking, "Ber folk ikke gi hvithval oppmerksomhet" [Asking people not to give beluga attention], P5, 5 May 2019 (in Norwegian). or might become too dependent on humans, like Keiko the orca."Frykter at 'spionhvalen' skal lide samme skjebne som Hollywood-stjerne" [Fears that the 'spy whale' will suffer the same fate as Hollywood star], VG TV (Verdens Gang), 3 May 2019 (video, 2 mins, 55 secs; in Norwegian). A proposal was made to place the whale in a sanctuary in Iceland which already houses two belugas from China, but since he seemed to be making efforts to find his own food, the Directorate of Fisheries decided in mid-May not to relocate him.Kristina Kalinina, Erlend Hykkerud and André Bendixen, "'Gåten Hvaldimir' får inntil videre gjøre som han vil" ['Hvaldimir the mystery' to be allowed to go on doing what he wants], NRK Finnmark, 8 May 2019 (in Norwegian). The Norwegian Institute of Marine Research recommended returning him to a facility in Russia if he did not become self-sustaining.Karin Madshus, "Havforskningsinstituttet anbefaler å fôre 'spionhvalen'" [Marine Research Institute recommends moving the 'spy whale'], Dagbladet, 15 May 2019 (in Norwegian). However, it became apparent a few days later that the whale was malnourished, and with Hammerfest Municipality taking responsibility, the Directorate of Fisheries agreed that he should be fed. The Norwegian Orca Survey began doing so,Boel Holm, TT, "Valen Hvaldimir måste utfodra, s för att inte dö" [Hvaldimir the whale needs to be fed so that he does not die], Hufvudstadsbladet, 18 May 2019 (in Swedish). although there was hope that the feeding could eventually end.Amos Chapple, "'Hvaldimir,' The 'Russian Spy' Beluga, In Unsure Waters", Radio Free Europe, 18 June 2019. The public donated funds to feed him.Kjell Persen and Karima Elisabeth Magnussen, "Leken 'Hvaldimir': – Han kysset dronen" [Playful 'Hvaldimir': 'He's kissing the drone'], TV2, 7 June 2019 (in Norwegian; with video, 53 secs). He was later reported to have been seriously ill,[Christel-Beate Jorilldatter and Alexandra Kosowski, "Hvaldimir er syk: – Forandringer i oppførselen" [Hvaldimir is sick: 'Changes in behaviour'], iFinnmark, 26 May 2019 (in Norwegian)."Hvithvalen 'Hvaldimir' overlevde nesten ikke helgen", ['Hvaldimir' the beluga almost did not survive the weekend], NRK, 27 May 2019 (in Norwegian). and to have been hooked by an angler and injured.Amalie Frøystad Nærø, "Fikk 'Hvaldimir' på kroken: – Han var tydelig forbanna" [Got 'Hvaldimir' on the hook: 'He was clearly ticked off'], Verdens Gang, 31 May 2019 (in Norwegian).NTB, "Hvaldimir fikk flenge i magen i møte med fiskekrok" [Hvaldimir gashed in stomach in encounter with fish-hook], ABC Nyheter, 1 June 2019 (in Norwegian). Norwegian Orca Survey's two main staff at the time included a former employee of Marineland and a career whale trainer from SeaWorld and Marineland. The trainers found that the whale responded to hand gestures, demonstrating that he had received prior training. The trainers began to utilise Hvaldimir's trained behaviours to perform daily "feeding shows" in Hammerfest Harbour to cruise boat passengers. The trainers taught Hvaldimir to lie alongside a boat so that he could be medically treated if necessary, although Norway never permitted any veterinary care of Hvaldimir.
After attracting crowds of observers, the whale left Hammerfest harbour in July and apparently had learned to find food; he was observed several times in August near Seiland, an island located between Hammerfest and Alta.Christian Kråkenes, "Hvaldimir har lært seg å fange mat selv" [Hvaldimir has taught himself to catch his own food], NRK, 28 August 2019 (in Norwegian). He then appeared in early September in the harbour at Alta, where he showed signs of injury from propellers and people were observed throwing things at him and pushing things into his mouth.Erlend Hykkerud, "Hvaldimir er syk og har fått skader: – Flere har kastet planker og andre ting etter ham" [Hvaldimir is sick and has received injuries: 'Many people have thrown planks and other things at him']
Protection efforts Shortly after Hvaldimir appeared in May 2019, the Norwegian Orca Survey assembled a team to monitor him. Because the whale's harness suggested he had come from a captive situation, concerns were raised about his ability to both feed himself and survive. Despite an initial health scare, Hvaldimir's body condition improved as the Norwegian Orca Survey group regularly provided food for him while stressing to the public not to feed or interact with him.
Hvaldimir left Hammerfest in late July, causing worry. He was observed traveling along the Norwegian coast, where continued study indicated he had been successfully feeding himself. He was able to survive on his own.
Activist Regina Crosby first encountered Hvaldimir in July 2019. Crosby's initial advocacy for Hvaldimir through the informal group 'Friends of Hvaldimir' led to the establishment of what would become the nonprofit OneWhale in 2020. Several prominent cetacean scientists joined as advisors; the group's foremost concern was how best to give Hvaldimir a future as a wild whale. However, as Hvaldimir's international fame continued to increase, an increasing number of tourists would visit his location to see him. While most admired Hvaldimir from afar, some caused him harm through reckless interactions. His frequent presence near various industrial salmon farms also sparked concerns.
In the summer of 2021, OneWhale formed "Team Hvaldimir" in an effort to attempt to mitigate the challenges and tourism around the whale. Team Hvaldimir was a group of trained scientists and volunteers who lived on-site around the whale at all times. In the fall of 2021, OneWhale partnered with NOAH, the largest animal rights organisation in Norway. OneWhale was also working closely with the city of Hammerfest to dedicate a fjord as a protected marine reserve for Hvaldimir: this effort was known as the Norwegian Whale Reserve, though little in the way of updates have been provided.
In May 2023, Hvaldimir left his usual areas and traveled briefly to Oslo, Norway, before continuing into Swedish waters. Due to the higher human population and lower availability of food for him, worries for his safety sharply increased. Within several months, he had once again returned to Norwegian waters.
The majority of OneWhale resigned in the summer of 2023 due to "intense disagreement" over Hvaldimir's future. A former member – Sebastian Strand – subsequently founded the Norwegian non-profit Marine Mind, which took up monitoring Hvaldimir in Rogaland. Marine Mind's focus was on educating the public about Hvaldimir while promoting marine stewardship.
Hvaldimir's life The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries and the Norwegian Food Safety Authority repeatedly issued conflicting statements about Hvaldimir's welfare, at times claiming he had become a "wild" whale. In January 2023, Hvaldimir was still living full-time in and around fisheries off the coast of Norway, where he frequently would be seen interacting with workers, fishermen, locals, and tourists. By the early spring of 2023, no Norwegian agency or branch within the government had yet provided any protection, welfare plan or care for Hvaldimir; much of his earlier feeding, health care and human interactions had come from several international whale activism groups, whose volunteer presence had been approved by the Norwegian authorities.
In May 2023, Hvaldimir was located near Hunnebostrand, in south-western Sweden, having travelled along the Scandinavian coastline at a faster speed than previously observed. While the reasons for this movement aren't entirely clear, marine biologist Sebastian Strand speculated that the whale might have been seeking the company of others of his species, to socialise, or to find a mate.
In early June 2023, Hvaldimir appeared in a highly populated area, in a river near midtown Gothenburg, Sweden.Omtalade spionvalen "Hvaldimir" i Frihamnen i Göteborg In mid-June, he followed a boat to the river Glomma.
In late June, Hvaldimir showed up in Strömstad and in Kungshamn, two towns not far from the Norwegian border.