The strange saga of Hvaldimir the ‘Russian spy whale’
Four years after he first appeared in Norwegian waters wearing a camera harness, the beluga whale is on the move—and may be in danger.
When a beluga whale now nicknamed Hvaldimir surfaced in Norwegian waters in 2019, he made headlines for his possible profession as a Russian spy. After all, he was clearly tame…and wearing a camera harness manufactured in Vladimir Putin’s hometown of St. Petersburg.
Now, after years of friendly appearances in the waters around northern Norway, the suspected former spy whale is on the move again. Here’s why conservationists say that’s bad news—and why the beluga with a knack for making headlines is still in danger.
Meet Hvaldimir
Fisherman Joar Hesten spotted the approximately nine-year-old beluga whale attempting to free itself from some sort of contraption in the waters off Hammerfest in northernmost Norway in April 2019. That contraption turned out to be a camera harness bearing the words “Equipment St. Petersburg,” sparking speculation that the beluga had been trained to perform spy work for Russia.
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That detail—and the fact that the whale seemed determined to interact with humans—made international headlines, and soon the beluga was nicknamed “Hvaldimir,” a mash-up moniker of the Norwegian word for “whale” and the Russian president’s first name. Hvaldimir not only seemed disinclined to head into less-populated waters, but showed off what appeared to be extensive training: bumping boats, interacting with salmon fishers, and even stealing (and returning) lost GoPros.
A spy story?
Though no one can confirm whether Hvaldimir was actually trained as a spy, it wouldn’t be unprecedented. Nonhuman spies and reconnaissance helpers like dogs and ravens have a long history in warfare, and the Cold War sparked a multitude of animal-dependent spy programs, such as a Cold War-era dolphin training enterprise that was suspected to have a Soviet counterpart, according to Smithsonian.
The U.S. Navy still trains bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions to detect mines, recover objects, and, in the words of the Navy’s website, “detect and track undersea targets, even in dark or murky waters.” The program has reportedly trained beluga whales, as well.
Hvaldimir is widely suspected to have been trained by the Russians for some kind of spy or reconnaissance work. In 2019, Norwegian journalist Thomas Nilsen speculated that the beluga likely escaped from a pen in which he was being trained for reconnaissance by the Russian navy, pointing to Google Earth photos that appeared to show pens of beluga whales in the waters off of northwest Russia. Hvaldimir could also have been snuck into Norwegian waters on a submarine or other vessel, Nilsen suggested, noting that the whale’s tale could one day “become a well written manuscript for a Hollywood movie.”
A whale without a pod
While Hvaldimir’s one-time mission is not known, the danger to his life today is real, says Rich German, president of OneWhale. The non-profit organization, created in response to the whale’s plight, has tracked the whale for four years.
While OneWhale has documented Hvaldimir’s endearing interactions with people, they’ve also seen evidence of the danger the now-famous tamed whale faces in human-frequented waters: injuries from boat strikes, mouth damage from fish hooks, and other interactions with well-wishers that could endanger his life.
Another concerning sign is logging—a behavior in which the whale lies still as a log on the water’s surface. Hvaldimir has been known to log for hours at a time, which may be a possible coping strategy for his solitary existence. Belugas usually live and move in pods, earning them a reputation as one of the most social of animals. But Hvaldimir’s social interactions only involve humans, making him dangerously dependent on our actions.
On the move
Now, after years of lurking around Hammerfest, one of the world’s northernmost towns, Hvaldimir is on the move again. After heading south to the busy waters off Oslo, prompting officials to warn Norwegians not to make contact with him, he continued on into Swedish territory.
“He just kept going,” says German.
It’s unclear why Hvaldimir has made such a significant shift southward—or why he subsequently made a U-turn back into Norwegian waters. He could be looking for a mate, or just searching for more food. Either way, though, he faces increased danger as he goes. Hvaldimir is now in less salmon-abundant waters and faces boat strikes and even starvation if he continues swimming far from the food supply to which he’s become accustomed. In response, OneWhale is working with Sweden and Norway as government officials monitor the whale. The goal is to move Hvaldimir back into safer, more fish-filled seas, and protect him as he pursues his unpredictable mission.
Part of that goal is to create a one-of-a-kind whale preserve in a fjord in Hammerfest, where Hvaldimir could be rehabilitated along with other once-captive whales. “We have all the pieces in place,” says German.
Will Hvaldimir’s unknown spy mission end with retirement in a fish-filled fjord? Only time will tell. But in the meantime, German notes that the beluga’s whale of a tale has plenty to teach about the inhumanity of conflict and the importance of conservation.
“The oceans are so huge and vast, but Hvaldimir has a face and a name,” he says. “This has gone beyond the story of a whale and has become a story of human compassion.”
