Norway warns civilians to stay away from Russian spy whale

The Norwegian public has been warned to avoid ‘contact’ with a Beluga whale, which experts say could be a Russian ‘spy’, after it was found wearing a harness capable of carrying surveillance equipment.

The mammal has been traveling ‘along the Norwegian coast’ for some four years, but has now made its way to the Inner Oslofjord, described as a ‘densely populated area’.

The whale is known to follow boats and approach humans, with its harness discovered by a fisherman and later removed in 2019.

Marine biologists have previously said it is “undoubtedly” the whale was trained and stressed that Russia has historically trained Belugas to “carry out military operations.”

The friendly beast was named Hvaldimir, a pun on the Norwegian for whale – hval – and Vladimir Putin, in reference to its possible Russian ties.

The animal “has been traveling along the Norwegian coast for four years,” but has now found its way to the Inner Oslofjord

Hvaldimir is known for following boats and playing with those on board, but warned people to stay away, according to the Norwegian Fisheries Directorate.

In a statement yesterday, director Frank Bakke-Jensen said people should keep their distance, “even though the whale is tame and used to being around people.”

“We especially encourage people in boats to keep enough distance to prevent the whale from being injured or, in the worst case, killed by boat traffic,” Bakke-Jensen said.

Unfortunately, he explained, Hvaldimir has already suffered “minor injuries, mainly from contact with boats.”

They added that he “tends to stay on farms where he has been able to catch fish, grazing on excess forage.”

Oslofjord, a popular summer resort for people living in Oslo, is only 100 km from Norway’s capital and has a lot of boating activity.

Hvaldimir’s migration to the area has raised concerns that he may need to be taken into captivity for his safety.

In an apparent giveaway, the harness clips read “Equipment St. Petersburg,” adding to a theory that he was trained by the Russian Navy

Joergen Ree Wiig (pictured), a marine biologist with the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, said the harness he found was ‘specially made’

Mr Bakke-Jensen said: ‘We have always communicated that the whale in question is a free-living animal and we see no reason to capture it and place it behind barriers.

But now that the whale is “in a more vulnerable area and access to food may be limited,” authorities will “consider other measures,” he said, adding: “It’s too early to say anything concrete about that.” ‘

Hvaldimir’s movements will be monitored by the naval team in the hope that he will turn back once he reaches the end of the Oslofjord.

The humble creature was first spotted in 2019 by fisherman Joar Hesten, off the coast of Finnmark, a county in northeastern Norway.

He managed to free the animal from its harness after it rubbed against boats in an apparent attempt to free itself, and contacted the country’s fisheries directorate.

The humble creature was first spotted by fisherman Joar Hesten, off the coast of Finnmark, a county in northeastern Norway.

Hvaldimir is known for following boats and playing with those on board, but warned people to stay away in the ‘densely populated area’

Experts at the time told CNN that Hvaldimir was a trained animal, with indications that he came from Russia.

Joergen Ree Wiig, a marine biologist at the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, said the harness he was wearing was “specially made” with “mounts for GoPro cameras on each side of it.”

In an apparent giveaway, the harness clips read “Equipment St. Petersburg,” adding to the theory that he was trained by the Russian Navy.

The Navy is known to train beluga whales to conduct military operations,” Wiig said, with activities they are prepared for including “guarding naval bases, helping divers, finding lost equipment.”

In 2017, the Murmansk Sea Biology Research Institute trained beluga whales, as well as dolphins and seals, for military roles in Russia’s Northern Navy, the Siberian times reported.