Big Plans for Beluga Whale, the Russian Spy

The friendly beluga whale known as Hvaldimir — a combo of the Norwegian word for whale (hval) and Vladimir (as in Putin) — has been charming crowds as he swims south down the coast of Norway, where he was first spotted by fishermen in 2019.

Hvaldimir is believed to be a Russian spy, as he was wearing a harness that read "Equipment St. Petersburg" when he first made contact with the Norwegians. The harness was removed and the whale has hung around the Scandinavian coast ever since, seen lately in Sweden.

Hvaldimir is friendly and unafraid of people, which might be his undoing. His encounters bring him in proximity to deadly boat propellers – the whale has a brutal scar on his side that suggests he’s already met by one. Authorities are saying Hvaldimir also presents a danger to the humans, which is eerily similar to what they said about Freya the walrus. That didn’t end well.

A better plan for Hvalimir is afoot. The nonprofit OneWhale is ginning up support to create a 500-acre marine reserve in northern Norway, where they can rehab Hvalimir and hopefully one day release him with belugas in the wild. OneWhale envisions a safe place that would eventually be a sanctuary for other aquatic animals in need.

“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,” OneWhale president Phil German told NPR. “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.”

No one knows why Hvalimir has been on the move lately. (His journey to Sweden took him 900 miles in two months.) The 13-year-old male might be lonely, in search of a mate, or even just a friend.

Plenty of Hvaldimir footage here. A lot more info on the celebrity-spy whale, and a way to donate to the cause, can be found at OneWhale.org.