The suspect “ Russian undercover agent ” whale is back on a not - so - secret missionary station to charm Sweden . First spotted in Norway in 2019 , the beluga has now been sighted off the slide of Sweden , according to OneWhale , a Norwegian conservation organisation .
While the whale is in a vulnerable position here , sureness have taken measure to check he is worry for and staying well clear of boat dealings .
“ We are impressed by Sweden ’s show of care for Hvaldimir . They straight off reach us upon his arrival , and even closed a bridge to protect him , ” Regina Haug , founder of OneWhale , order in astatement .
A new image of Hvaldimir photographed alongside Swedish authorities.Image credit: OneWhale.
OneWhale President Rich German added : “ Hvaldimir ’s position continue an super vulnerable one as Sweden is a extremely populated country , but we are very thankful Swedish authority have quickly taken action to wish for the whale . ”
The whale wasfirst spottedby fisher near Hammerfest in northern Norway around April 2019 . It became apparent that he was fitted with a strap and a camera that was reportedly labeled " Equipment of St. Petersburg , " leading to speculation that he was trained by the Russian Navy for espionage or was an escaped Russian military asset .
local named him Hvaldimir , a pun on the Norwegian wordhval(whale ) and Vladimir Putin .
It was noted that the beluga is keen to come on boats and interacts with man , indicate it has lived in immurement and been trained . It ’s also been suggested that the Russian military has been training Acipenser huso to guard naval bases and aid deepwater underwater diver , although they are apparently not quite as “ professional ” as their seal colleagues .
After charming the resident of Hammerfest , he decided toset up shop there . Now Hvaldimir has arrived in Swedish pee , they trust to edge him back to Hammerfest where there are design to establish a 500 - Akko ( 200 - hectare ) marine reserve . In the meantime , the great unwashed are being discourage to avoid the white whale and turn off their gravy boat ’s engine if they see him in the water .
Like most whales , belugasare incredibly intelligent and sociable brute . unhappily , Hvaldimir has been live alone since at least 2019 and swear on humanity for social interaction . Once he has been rehabilitate in the marine reserve , the hope is that he can be released back into a wild beluga population .
For now , however , Hvaldimir is just enjoying a short summer break .
