Have you seen the video of the wild beluga whale playing fetch that’s been floating around for the past few days? If you haven’t, it’s exactly what it sounds like, and exactly as adorable as you’d expect. But in what might be the greatest milkshake-ducking of 2019, it turns out that the beluga whale might actually be a Russian spy.
Yes, you read that right. It’s a bonkers story, so strap yourself in.
Back in April, a beluga whale with a harness was spotted off of Tufjord, in northern Norway. Assuming that it was an animal who has accidentally been caught in rubbish, The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries sent some people out to help free it.
Turns out the harness had been strapped on to the whale very deliberately, and had “Equipment of Saint Petersburg” written all over it, as well as a mount for some sort of equipment that wasn’t there any more.
Spy animals have absolutely been used by people before, and Russia has been using dolphins for military purposes for years. The assumption was made that this particular beluga whale – named Hvaldimir – was an escaped Russian spy.
Hvaldimir has popped up a few times since then. He’s approached a lot of boats, and even gone as far as taking a diver’s knife, and returning a woman’s dropped phone to her.
Here’s where things get less cheery for Hvaldimir. Quad Finn, a researcher of aquatic mammals has said that because he’s clearly spent time in captivity during his Russian spying days, he’s probably still partially dependent on people to survive.
“Hvaldimir was taken from the ocean & trained by humans to do tricks like fetching objects in exchange for food.”
“That he’s malnourished & still dependent on humans for food are likely reasons for what appears to be ‘playful’ behaviour.”
So, once again, humans ruin everything.
Wherever Hvaldimir is now, I hope he’s doing ok. If you’re travelling through the waters off of Norway any time soon and do come across him, make sure to give him some food. And maybe avoid telling him any state secrets that you wouldn’t want Russia to know.