Picture: slowmotiongli via Getty Images
The sighting of a large white whale carrying a camera harness in Norway a few years ago fuelled suspicions that it was being used for espionage.
The beluga whale, since dubbed Hvaldimir, was recently spotted again off the coast of Sweden.
It’s new name is a combination of the Norwegian word for whale – hval – and the prevalent Russian given name Vladimir.
According to a recent Euronews report, when first observed in 2019, the whale's harness was equipped with a base for a small camera and a plastic strap that read "Equipment St. Petersburg."
The biologists who discovered Hvaldimir were able to remove the head restraint that was attached to his neck.
The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries hypothesised at the time that the whale had escaped from a pen where it was possibly trained by the Russian navy because it was accustomed to human companionship and would approach ships.
Moscow has never commented officially on the matter.
On Sunday, May 28, Hvaldimir was spotted near Hunnebostrand in west Sweden, further south than its first 2019 sighting, according to Sebastian Strand of the OneWhale organisation.
Strand stated that Hvaldimir has been migrating in the direction of the south faster than usual.
Strand observed that the whale is departing from the environment that belugas typically prefer, namely the colder waters of Greenland, Russia, and Norway's Arctic.
The Barents Sea and the North Atlantic are strategic regions for Western and Russian navies, which have deployed submarines in the region.
"We don't know why it's moving so quickly right now," he said, acknowledging that Hvaldimir's search for a partner could be one of the potential causes.
"Hormones may be urging it to locate a mate. Or, as belugas are extremely sociable, he may be seeking companionship due to loneliness," he said.
Strand reports that Hvaldimir has been in excellent health in recent years and feeds on fish attracted to the large salmon farms in Norway.
However, OneWhale is worried about his capacity to retrieve food, as it has already detected signs of weight loss.
Environment
Related Topics: