#hvaldimir

[a-minke-whales-tale]

Tonight I learned of Hvaldimir's passing. He died "free" but alone, far from lther beluga. It is very sad to hear. I hope wherever he has gone, there are others of his kind with him now.

I am not beluga, but I am all too familiar with that feeling of isolation and instead relying uppn the humans for interaction. Even if the humans do someday put me back in the water, it would almost certainly into a tank, and there are no other minke in captivity. I won't ever hear the calls of others, or swim close or touch against another. I hope that when it is my turn, for my body to sink beneath the waves a final time, that I too may go somewhere where there are others, to be reunited from those I was seperated from so long ago.

I would like to think we have both earned that much. Swim free Hvaldimir, swim free.

[rjzimmerman]

Beluga whale alleged to be Russian ‘spy’ was shot, animal rights groups say

Hvaldimir rose to fame in Norway after his harness sparked suspicions he was Russian spy

Excerpt from this story from The Guardian:

Animal rights groups have said that gunfire killed a beluga whale that rose to fame in Norway after its unusual harness sparked suspicions the creature was trained by Russia as a spy.

The organisations Noah and One Whale said they had filed a complaint with Norwegian police asking them to open a criminal investigation.

Nicknamed Hvaldimir in a pun on the Norwegian word for whale, hval, and the first name of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, the white beluga first appeared off the coast in Norway’s far-northern Finnmark region in 2019.

He was found dead on Saturday in a bay Norway’s south-western coast.

His body was transported on Monday to a local branch of the Norwegian Veterinary Institute for autopsy.

The report is expected “within three weeks”, a spokesperson for the institute said.

Regina Crosby Haug, the head of One Whale, who said she hadd viewed Hvaldimir’s body on Monday, told AFP: “He had multiple bullet wounds around his body.”

One Whale was founded to track the beluga, which had become a celebrity in Norway.

“The injuries on the whale are alarming and of a nature that cannot rule out a criminal act – it is shocking,” the Noah director, Siri Martinsen, said.

When he was found in 2019, Norwegian marine biologists removed a manmade harness with a mount suited for an action camera and the words “Equipment St. Petersburg” printed in English on the plastic clasps.

Norwegian officials said Hvaldimir may have escaped an enclosure and may have been trained by the Russian navy as he was accustomed to humans.

Moscow has never issued any official reaction to speculation that he could be a “Russian spy”.

[worldofwhales]

Meet Hvaldimir, the formerly captive beluga whale! He was wearing a harness when he was found by Norwegian fishermen and was suspected to be a Russian spy whale. Hvaldimir now roams the Norwegian fjords on his own, often trying to interact with humans, his only source of companionship, as well as a potential danger to him. He willingly approaches boats, which has already caused him a collision with a propeller and an ugly injury.

Hvaldimir cannot end up in a tank, he’s a free whale, but he’s alone out there, so he does need help. That’s why @onewhaleorg is trying to grant him (and other wildlife in need) a sanctuary where he can be safe, in one of Norway’s fjords.

If you’d like to help Hvaldimir, the lonely beluga, you can go to https://www.onewhale.org/take-action and send a pre-written email to the Norwegian government. Hoping this lonely guy will get a safe home in the near future! 🌊🐳

[sug-kuk]

[norsesuggestions]

Update on hvaldimir, the so called russian spy whale

He is doing fine actually. Started to hunt and feed himself and everything

Here is what the org that look after him says:

His background

"A lone and friendly beluga whale with a harness attached to its body was first reported on

26th of April 2019 off of Tufjord, in Finnmark, in northern Norway. The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries sent experts to respond to this sighting and to assist the animal in disentanglement. 

Eventually, and after entering the cold waters with the whale, they managed to detach the tight strap. The harness was labeled with "Equipment of Saint Petersburg" and had an equipment mount attachment on the harness. Based on these elements and geographic considerations, it was speculated that the whale was a lost 'spy' animal, trained and used by the Russian Navy.

[...]

Shortly after the whale arrived in his new location (Hammerfest), much enthusiasm and excitement spread among the local community and unique interactions with the beautiful animal multiplied. Videos showing the whale being petted, performing tricks and fetching objects went viral on the web. The general public, through a poll launched by Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, named the whale "Hvaldimir" - "Hval" being a whale in Norwegian and "dimir" in reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

[...]

However, is the story as "fun" as it seemed? Based on the harness and highly sociable behavior, it appeared clear that the whale had been used for human benefits and was most likely conditioned to be hand-fed. If so, such behavioral conditioning could have resulted in the whale being dependent on people and not able to successfully hunt and feed itself."

But now!

"The harbor of Hammerfest is a busy location with boat traffic and also listed as one of the most polluted harbors in Norway. Therefore, relocating Hvaldimir to a safer environment and possibly a fjord nearby was considered and remained the goal to work towards. However, the story took another turn after Hvaldimir left Hammerfest harbor on July 19. The team of care-givers had to follow Hvaldimir's movements through multiple remote locations in an attempt to feed him and monitor his condition. Surprisingly, the whale started refusing his favorite fish and became a little more independent, even though still actively seeking contact with people.

By early September, and in about 1.5 month, Hvaldimir had swam a minimum of 650 km. Monitoring of his activities and fecal sampling confirmed that he was able to feed himself. "

Beluga whale has become independent whale, feeds himself, swims in the ocean, lives the beluga life style

(although still too social with humans, most likely because he lacks a beluga flock. but he has otherwise started to live a more normal beluga life)

Source:

https://www.hvaldimir-foundation.com/the-story

[girlwiththeorcatattoo]

Laurice Dee

UPDATE ON HVALDIMIR - THE HARNESSED BELUGA WHALE - IN THE NORWEGIAN WATERS Hvaldimir has been injured. A very long cut on his back. Wonde

Hvaldimir, aka the Russian Spy Whale, has been seen with a long injury to his back.

[bukseknapp]

Im still shook abt the fact the mayor of my old hometown adopted a begula whale

[local-hellhound-steals-spaghetti]

Hvaldimir has passed away :( unclear what the cause of death was. They better publish the necropsy report when it’s done.

Poor whale has been through so much. I hope he has found peace wherever he is.

Hvaldimir er død

Hvaldimir, Norges mest berømte hvithval, er død.