An alleged Russian spy whale is in Sweden — and danger. Here's why his tale matters
(See Below Where You Can Download a Digital Painting of Hvaldimir 👇)
President Rich German told NPR in a phone interview that OneWhale's short-term goal is to protect Hvaldimir, "whose life is in clear danger."
Their ultimate goal is to create a 500-acre marine reserve in northern Norway where they can rehabilitate him before releasing him into a wild population of beluga whales — and they envision him being the first of many inhabitants.
"The silver lining to Hvaldimir's sad story is that that reserve will also be a home for whales that are also living in captivity in marine parks and places like that all around the world," German says. "Hvaldimir's story has the chance to transform from being one of extremely inhumane animal treatment to him being a global ambassador for compassion and love between humans and animals."
How — and why — did he get to Sweden?
For years Hvaldimir hung around industrial salmon farms, getting valuable social interaction from the workers and sustenance from the plentiful wild fish (and, OneWhale says, posing a workplace hazard and environmental liability in the process). But he recently, and suddenly, took off south.
A beluga whale long believed to be a Russian spy has surfaced in Sweden, fueling concerns about his well-being and efforts to protect him from dangerous boat traffic.
Hvaldimir — a combination of the Norwegian word for whale (hval) and Russian President Vladimir Putin's first name — has spent the last several years swimming south down the coast of Norway, where he was first spotted by fishermen in 2019.
He had been wearing a harness labeled "Equipment St. Petersburg," which led many to believe he'd been trained by the Russian navy for intelligence purposes. (Russia and the U.S. are among the handful of countries that have military training programs incorporating aquatic mammals.)
Hvaldimir has become something of a local celebrity in the years since, with viral videos showing him picking up a woman's dropped cell phone and stealing and retrieving a kayaker's GoPro.
"He is a friendly, tamed, displaced, formerly captive whale who relies on humans for social interaction," says OneWhale, a nonprofit established specifically to protect Hvaldimir. "Belugas are highly social whales and he has been living all alone the past four years."
But those interactions can come at a cost. Hvaldimir has been injured by boat propellers, sharp objects, fishing hooks and foreign items being placed in his mouth — and faces heightened danger in Sweden, which has more people and fewer fish than Norway.
OneWhale said Monday that it is working with Swedish authorities to protect him, even closing a bridge to limit access by the public and help their team get on site faster.
OneWhale, a nonprofit organization, created TEAM HVALDIMIR to make sure he is safe and protected. Our team provides him enrichment and also educates salmon farms and tourists about his unique situation. Our team is on the ground everyday with Hvaldimir in Norway, working in very challenging conditions, all out of love for this beautiful and special whale.
Team Hvaldimir also consists of a world-class team of whale experts, scientists and advocates. We have also aligned with animal welfare organizations and the city of Hammerfest – where Hvaldimir first arrived – in a united effort to protect Hvaldimir.
Each month we incur several thousands of dollars in expenses including lodging, boat rentals, gas for boats and cars, supplies and more. We rely on the generosity of our community to keep Hvaldimir protected. You can make a donation to help TEAM HVALDIMIR here.
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