The Russian “spy whale” in Norway was not shot, but probably died of a bacterial infection

OSLO, Norway – A beluga whale that lived off the Norwegian coast and whose harness sparked speculation that it was a Russian spy was not shot as animal rights groups claimed, but died of a bacterial infection, Norwegian police said Friday.

A final autopsy by the Norwegian Veterinary Institute “concludes that the likely cause of death was a bacterial infection – possibly as a result of a wound in the mouth caused by a stuck stick,” said Amund Preede Revheim, head of the institute’s North Sea and Environment Department, police said in the southwest of Norway.

“The autopsy revealed no evidence that the whale was shot,” he stressed, adding that the autopsy was “complicated by the fact that many of the whale’s organs were very rotten.” Since there was no evidence of crime, There is no reason to open a criminal investigation into the death, said Preede Revheim.

The tame beluga, first spotted near Russian waters in 2019 wearing a harness marked “Equipment St. Petersburg,” was nicknamed “Hvaldimir,” a combination of the Norwegian word for whale — hval — and Russian President Vladimir’s first name Putin.

It was found floating in a bay in southern Norway on August 31st.

In September, animal rights groups OneWhale and NOAH filed a police report saying the animal’s wounds suggested it was killed intentionally.

They pointed to several wounds on the animal’s skin, including a bullet hole.

“According to the assessment of the veterinary institute and the police forensic technicians, these are not gunshot wounds. “X-rays of the chest and head were performed with no projectiles or other metal fragments discovered,” a police statement said.

Police previously described a stick about 35 centimeters (14 inches) long and 3 centimeters (1 inch) wide that was wedged in the animal’s mouth, its stomach was empty and its organs had disintegrated, police said. No further information was provided.

The 4.2-meter (14-foot) long, 1,225-kilogram (2,700-pound) whale was first spotted by fishermen not far from the Arctic town of Hammerfest.

Its harness and what appeared to be a mount for a small camera sparked media speculation that it was a “spy whale.” Experts say the Russian Navy has been known to train whales for military purposes. Media reports also speculated that the whale could have been trained as a therapy animal.

There was no immediate response from OneWhale or NOAH.