Hvaldimir is known for following boats and playing with those on board.
A beluga whale that appeared in Norway in 2019 reappeared on a Swedish beach this Sunday, using a camera-supported harness. Military experts believe that the whale may have been trained by Russian soldiers.
Called Hvaldimir, “it has been traveling along the Norwegian coast since 2019”, with a few stops along the way, according to the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, where Hvaldimir “tends to stay in farms where fish are caught and eaten. Surplus fodder”.
Hvaldimir is known for following boats and playing with those on board.
Initially discovered in Finnmark, in the northern part of Norway, the whale spent almost three years visiting a part of the Norwegian coast and, in recent months, accelerated significantly towards Sweden. On Sunday, it was observed near Hannebostrand in the south of the country.
“We don’t know why it’s accelerated so much now,” admits Sebastian Strand, a marine biologist at Onevale, in a statement to The Guardian. The expert agrees that the “hormonal” issue may be at stake when the whale is looking for a mate. However, these animals are highly social creatures and Strand points out that Hvaldimir may seek out the company of other creatures of the same species.
Biologists believe the animal is around 13 to 14 years old, when “hormones are at their peak.”
These whales can reach considerable size, about six meters in height, and live up to 60 years.
Experts suspect the animal was trained by the Russian Navy to spy on Norway. The animal seems very comfortable around him. In addition, the harness attached to the animal, which was removed by biologists in the meantime, had the inscription “St. Petersburg Equipment”.
Moscow has not issued a response to put an end to the speculation.
The Barents Sea, where the animal was found, is a place of considerable geopolitical importance, where the West and Russia play a game of cat and mouse by tracking their submarines.
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