Saying goodbye to Hvaldimir

Hvaldimir is the so-called “Russian spy whale” that appeared in northern Norway late April 2019 with a harness attached to its body. The male beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) has been seeking human contact and has remained in the harbor of Hammerfest (Norway) since May 1, 2019. Based on the behavior (and harness), it appeared obvious that the animal came from a managed-care situation. After two weeks of consistent occurrence in the harbor, research organization Norwegian Orca Survey (based in Andenes) traveled onsite to monitor the whale’ s behavior using camera-tags and to assess its general body condition. Because observations did not reveal any natural feeding and because the whale displayed signs of malnutrition, the team recommended feeding Hvaldimir to ensure his welfare and survival. An official permission to initiate a feeding program following protocols in place was granted on May 16, 2019 by the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries. Hi is now swimming around in the North of Norway visiting