Alleged Russian spy whale Hvaldemir is in Sweden — and the danger: NPR

Hvaldemir’s photo was taken in Stade, Norway, earlier this year, shortly before he began his surprise journey south.

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Hvaldemir’s photo was taken in Stade, Norway, earlier this year, shortly before he began his surprise journey south.

German rich

A beluga whale long believed to be a Russian spy has surfaced in Sweden, raising concerns about its safety and efforts to protect it from dangerous boat traffic.

Hvaldimir – a combination of the Norwegian word for whale (haval) and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin — he spent the last several years swimming south down the coast of Norway, where he was first seen by fishermen in 2019.

He wore a belt labeled “St. Petersburg Equipment”, leading many to believe he was trained by the Russian Navy for intelligence purposes. (Russia and the United States are among the few countries with military training programs involving aquatic mammals.)

Hvaldimir has become something of a local celebrity in the years since, with viral videos Shows him picking up a woman’s cell phone Theft and recovery GoPro from kayaker.

“It is a friendly, tame, ungulate, and former captive whale that relies on humans for social interaction,” one whale, a non-profit organization created specifically to protect Hvaldemir. “Belugas are very social whales and have been living on their own for the past four years.”

But these interactions can come at a cost. Hvaldemir has been injured by boat propellers, sharp objects, fishing hooks and strange objects placed in his mouth – and faces increased danger in Sweden, which has more people and fewer fish than Norway.

one whale Monday said They are working with Swedish authorities to protect it, even closing a bridge to restrict public access and help their team get to the site faster.

Chief Rich German told NPR in a phone interview that OneWhale’s short-term goal is to protect Hvaldimir “whose life is clearly in danger.”

Their ultimate goal is to create a 500-acre marine reserve in northern Norway where they can rehabilitate him before releasing him to a wild population of beluga whales – and they envision him as the first of many residents.

“The silver lining in Hvaldemir’s sad story is that this reserve will also be home to whales that also live in captivity in marine parks and places like this all over the world,” says Germain. “Hvaldimir’s story has the opportunity to go from being one of the most inhumane treatment of animals to being a global ambassador of compassion and love between humans and animals.”

A group of local firefighters pose for a photo in Kungshamn, Sweden, on Sunday, as Hvaldimir swims in the water behind them.

Sebastian Strand / Rich German

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A group of local firefighters pose for a photo in Kungshamn, Sweden, on Sunday, as Hvaldimir swims in the water behind them.

Sebastian Strand / Rich German

How – and why – did he get to Sweden?

For years, Hvaldemir has been hanging around industrial salmon farms, getting valuable social interaction from the workers and living off the plentiful wild fish (and, as OneWhale says, a workplace hazard and environmental liability in the process). But recently, all of a sudden, the South has taken off.

“He’s traveled about 900 miles in the last two months, and in the last two years he’s traveled about 375 miles,” says Germain.

No one knows exactly what prompted Hvaldemir’s flight, though experts have two theories.

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German says he may have been following some kind of instinctive migration pattern. OneWhale marine biologist Sebastian Strand told NPR’s Rob Schmitz that he thinks Hvaldemir is lonely.

“A big part of our goal is to reunite him with others of his species,” he said.

Hvaldemir is believed to be around 13 or 14 years old, “an age when his hormones are very high,” Strand he told the Guardianstating that he is not believed to have seen another beluga whale since April 2019.

“It could be hormones that push him to find a mate,” Strand added. “Or it could be loneliness, because belugas are a very social species — it could be searching for other beluga whales.”

Once Hvaldemir moved away from salmon farms, German says, it kept moving south in search of food.

Whatever the reason, the organization is concerned about the toll his flights have incurred. She says Hvaldimir has lost weight from swimming so far in such a short period of time while eating less. It is not clear where he will go next.

“He’s always been coast-hugging, so he’ll probably continue to do that,” says Germain. “Whether he was hunting for fish, or social enrichment, it will likely continue. We can’t say for sure, but that’s the direction he’s taken.”

Conservation experts hope for a ripple effect

Hvaldemir’s story gained renewed attention last week when he was spotted in the waters off Norway’s capital Oslo, with its major industrial ports, murky waters and heavy boat traffic.

The German described it as a “completely dangerous storm”. one whale he said at the time Hvaldemir’s chances of further injury or death had increased dramatically, and relocation was his best chance of survival.

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Hvaldemir somehow avoided those waters, to the relief of many, and ended up in Sweden. German says authorities were proactive and sympathetic, with the local fire department immediately reaching out to his team and taking action.

“We’ve been protecting it for years now, but suddenly I think everyone stepped up and said, ‘This is a dangerous situation… Maybe some kind of intervention has to happen,'” he adds.

Just because Hvaldimir is in Sweden doesn’t mean it’s safe, says the German.

The country has more people than Norway, fewer fish and heavy boat traffic, among other dangers. OneWhale shared a file Instagram video of a whale swimming in a narrow channel, describing it as “tough to watch”.

It says plans are still underway to move Hvaldemir north into Arctic waters, though German says there aren’t any major updates yet.

And while Hvaldemir’s suspected spy past is certainly tumultuous, Germany says it’s old news. What matters, he says, is that the whale is still in danger — and represents something bigger.

“We think the story of this one whale can change the lives of other whales and how humans really view how we treat animals,” adds Germain. “Putting animals into military service to protect ourselves from ourselves is something that I think we can really take a long look at as to why we’re doing it, as well as having whales in marine parks for profit and entertainment. I really feel like it’s an opportunity to change the world in so many ways.”