Was he really a spy? Or the subject of a scientific study? Or just a sweet Beluga whale who got lost one day and decided he liked his new home better than the old one? We may never know, because he has now passed away . . . unless his autopsy (or is it a necropsy?) reveals something unexpected.

He was a 2,700-pound, 14-foot-long Beluga whale, who showed up along the northern coast of Norway in April of 2019, and has been hanging around ever since. When first spotted, he became the immediate subject of intense speculation because of the harness he was wearing, to which were attached a device that appeared to be a mount for a small camera, and a buckle reading “Equipment St. Petersburg.” [Mithil Aggarwal and Caroline Radnofsky, NBC News, September 2, 2024.]

“A Russian spy whale!” was the first reaction of the local folks, who nevertheless fell in love with him and named him Hvaldimir —a combination of “hval” (the Norwegian word for whale) and “dimir” from Vladimir Putin’s first name. He seemed to love being around people, and was quickly adopted — spy or no spy — by the community.

And tragically, this week he was found dead by marine biologist Sebastian Strand, who had been tracking Hvaldimir’s activities. According to Strand:

“He meant more than I can put into words, to me, to the team, and to thousands of people whose lives he had profoundly impacted. We were responding to a sighting, but did not know anything happened to him.” [Id.]

Because there was no obvious cause of death, and he had last been spotted alive on Friday, a post-mortem will be performed. And then, I presume, Hvaldimir will be sent to his final resting place with all due ceremony and lots of love.

Was he indeed a Russian spy whale — sent, perhaps, to photograph Norway’s naval bases, but lost his camera in the rough seas? Did he find the fish tastier in Norway, or the people friendlier, and then decide to defect? No one really seemed to care.

Because who couldn’t love that sweet face?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/3/24