Norwegian NGOs:

Dead “spy whale” shows gunshot wounds

(Bild: OneWhale.org)

On Saturday, the suspected Russian "spy whale" "Hvaldimir" was discovered floating lifeless in the sea off the south-west coast of Norway. Animal welfare organizations suspect that the marine mammal was killed by humans.

The organizations OneWhale and Noah have reported the case to the Norwegian police and the Norwegian Agency for Economic and Environmental Crime due to documented injuries to the animal. The police will now investigate whether there are reasonable grounds to start an investigation.

NGO: Whale was shot
"Our beloved 'Hvaldimir' was shot," explained OneWhale on Instagram. There is evidence that the whale was killed by gunfire. Several veterinarians, biologists and ballistic experts have concluded that "Hvaldimir's" death was the result of a criminal act. OneWhale founder Regina Haug pointed out, among other things, that she had even seen a bullet lodged in his body.

"Hvaldimir" is a combination of the Norwegian word for whale (hval) and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In 2019, he surfaced in Norway not far from Russian waters with an attachment for a small camera and the words "St. Petersburg equipment" on his body.

This triggered speculation that it could be a Russian spy whale. Another theory was that it had once been used as a kind of therapy whale in Russia. At the same time, "Hvaldimir" has repeatedly shown himself to be extremely trusting towards people and boats, which has earned him many friends in Norway.

Marine mammal has already been autopsied
On Saturday, the more than four-metre-long marine mammal was discovered dead in a bay near Stavanger. An autopsy has already been carried out, but according to the NTB news agency, the autopsy report will not be ready for around three weeks.