Was Hvaldimir the “spy whale" shot dead? Animal rights groups demand investigation

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Animal rights groups claimed that "Hvaldimir," a beluga whale well-known for its alleged connections to the Russian military, had been shot to death. The whale made headlines across the world in 2019 when it was spotted off the coast of Norway. It was wearing a harness made of metal, which led to speculation that Russia had been training it to be a spy. Animal rights organizations NOAH and One Whale claimed that gunshot was the cause of the whale's demise and pushed Norwegian police to launch a criminal inquiry into the event, as per the reports of The Moscow Times.

Hvaldimir's body was discovered on Saturday in a bay on the southwest coast of Norway. Following that, his remains were transferred to the Norwegian Veterinary Institute for an autopsy; the results are expected to be available in three weeks. After seeing the whale's corpse, Regina Crosby Haug, the leader of One Whale, verified that it had sustained many gunshot wounds. Hvaldimir's bloodied body was depicted in photos that One Whale and NOAH published, and they clearly indicated bullet holes. The director of NOAH, Siri Martinsen, stressed the gravity of the injuries and voiced concern about the possibility of criminal conduct. At present, the police are assessing the amount of evidence to see if a formal inquiry should be launched.

Background and suspicion of Espionage

Hvaldimir first appeared in Norway’s northern Finnmark region in 2019, raising eyebrows due to his harness, which was fitted with a mount for an action camera and carried the inscription «Equipment St. Petersburg.» Norwegian marine biologists removed the harness, but it led to speculation that the whale had been trained by the Russian navy. Norwegian officials pointed out that Hvaldimir