'Russian Spy'Detected whale found dead''I was fine the day before'
Sep 02, 2024
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Norwegian public broadcaster NRK and British media Daily Mail reported that the body of a beluga whale nicknamed 'Hvaldimir' was seen on the 31st of last month (local time) in the Bay of Lisabica in southern Norway.
Sebastian Strand, head of the nonprofit organization 'Marine Mind' and marine biologist "The cause of Valdimir's death is unclear and needs to be investigated."There is no noticeable external wound" he said.
Marine Mind, who has been monitoring Valdimir for the past three years, said "Until the day before, he was clearly in good health. We will find out what happened here.'
Beluga whales typically have a lifespan of 40 to 60 years, and Valdimir was estimated to be 14 to 15 years old. Valdimir's body was 4.2 meters long and weighed 1225 kilograms.
Earlier, Valdimir was first seen by fishermen near the northern Norwegian island of Inghoya in April 2019.
At the time, it was speculated that he had been spy-trained by the Russian Navy, as he was fitted with a holder capable of mounting a small camera and a band marked 'St Petersburg Equipment'.
However, Norwegian media estimated that "Waldimir was likely used in Russia as a kind of 'therapy whale'".
In this regard, Russia has not expressed any position.
In the years that followed, Valdimir was found in many parts of the Norwegian coast, and became popular for being very gentle and appearing to like to play with people.
bellho@sportschosun.com
