Suspected Russian spy whale Hvaldimir is in Sweden and at riskExBulletin

A beluga whale long believed to be a Russian spy has turned up in Sweden, prompting concerns for its welfare and efforts to protect it from dangerous boat traffic.

Hvaldimir a combination of the Norwegian word for whale (the whale) and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin has spent the last few years swimming south off the coast of Norway, where he was first spotted by fishermen in 2019.

He was wearing body armor labeled “St. Petersburg Gear,” which led many to believe he had been trained by the Russian navy for intelligence purposes. (Russia and the US are among the few countries that have military training programs involving aquatic mammals.)

Hvaldimir has become something of a local celebrity in the years since, with viral video showing him picking up a fallen woman’s cell phone and theft and taking GoPro for a kayaker.

“He is a friendly, tame, displaced, formerly captive whale who relies on humans for social interaction,” says OneWhale, a non-profit organization created specifically to protect Hvaldimir. “Belugas are very social whales and he has lived alone for the past four years.”

But these interactions can come at a cost. Hvaldimir has been injured by boat propellers, sharp objects, fishing hooks and foreign objects lodged in his mouth and faces increased risk in Sweden, which has more people and fewer fish than Norway.

OneWhale said Monday that it is working with Swedish authorities to protect it, even closing a bridge to limit public access and help their team get into the country faster.

President 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-hectare marine reserve in northern Norway where they can rehabilitate him before releasing him into a wild population of beluga whales, and they anticipate he will be the first of many residents.

“The silver lining to Hvaldimir’s sad story is that that reserve will also be a home for whales that also live in captivity in marine parks and such places around the world,” says German. “Hvaldimir’s story has the opportunity to transform from an extremely inhumane treatment of animals to a global ambassador of compassion and love between humans and animals.”

How and why did he get to Sweden?

For years, Hvaldimir hung around industrial salmon farms, taking valuable social interaction from the workers and food from the many wild fish (and, OneWhale says, posing a workplace hazard and environmental liability in the process). But he recently, and suddenly, rose in the south.

“He drove about 900 miles in the last two months, and in the previous two years he drove about 375 miles,” German says.

No one knows exactly what prompted Hvaldimir’s journey, although experts have several theories.

German says he may have followed some sort of instinctive migration pattern. Sebastian Strand, a marine biologist with OneWhale, told NPR’s Rob Schmitz that he thinks Hvaldimir is lonely.

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

Hvaldimir is believed to be 13 or 14, “an age where his hormones are very high,” Strand said The Guardianwhich reports that he is not believed to have seen another beluga whale since April 2019.

“It could be the hormones that push her to find a mate,” Strand added. “Or it could be loneliness, as belugas are a very social species, it could be that he is looking for other beluga whales.”

German says it could be that once Hvaldimir got far enough away from the salmon farms, it just kept moving south in search of food.

Whatever the reason, the organization is concerned about the number of his trips. She says that Hvaldimir has lost weight from swimming so far in such a short period of time by eating less. And it’s not clear where he might go next.

“It’s always hugged the shoreline, so it’s probably going to continue to do that,” German says. “If he’s looking for fish, social enrichment, maybe he’ll continue. We can’t say for sure, but that’s the trend he’s been following.”

Conservation experts hope for a ripple effect

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

German described it as a “perfect storm of danger”. OneWhale said at the time that Hvaldimir’s chances of further injury or death had increased significantly, with displacement being his best chance of survival.

Hvaldimir somehow crossed those waters, to the relief of many, and ended up in Sweden. German says the authorities there were proactive and empathetic, with the local fire department immediately contacting his team and taking action.

“We’ve been working to protect him for years, but all of a sudden I think everyone else stood up and said, ‘This is a dangerous situation… maybe some kind of intervention needs to happen,'” he adds.

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

The country has more people than Norway, fewer fish and heavier boat traffic, among other hazards. OneWhale has shared a Video on Instagram of the whale swimming through a narrow channel, calling it “difficult to see.”

He says plans are still underway to transport the Hvaldimir north into Arctic waters, although the German says there are no major updates yet.

And while Hvaldimir’s alleged spy past is certainly sensational, German says it’s old news. What matters, he says, is that the whale is still at risk and represents something bigger.

“The story of this whale, we believe … can change the lives of other whales and really change the way people look at how we treat animals,” German adds. “Putting animals into military service to protect themselves is something I think we can take a long look at as to why we do it, plus having whales in marine parks for profit and entertainment. I’m with him I really feel like it’s a chance to change the world in a lot of ways.”