My first meeting with 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) t