A beluga whale, already sighted in Norway, not far from Russian waters, has been found dead wearing a harness that had sparked rumors that it could be a Moscow 'spy'. Norwegian public broadcaster Nrk reported that the whale's body was found Saturday, floating in Risavika bay in southern Norway, by a father and son who were fishing.
The beluga, whose nickname Hvaldimir is a combination of the word "hval", which means whale in Norwegian, and the name of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was pulled from the water by a crane and taken to a nearby port, where experts will examine it. Marine biologist Sebastian Strand told Nrk: "Unfortunately, we found Hvaldimir floating at sea. He is deceased, but it is not immediately clear what caused the death." He added that there were no visible serious external injuries on the animal.
Strand, who has been following Hvaldimir's adventures for the past three years on behalf of the Norwegian non-profit organization Marine Mind, said he was deeply affected by the whale's sudden death. "It's absolutely horrible," Strand said. "Apparently, he was in good condition on Friday, so we just have to figure out what might have happened."
