The russian ” spy-whale ” can be sheltered in Norway
10.11.2022 - 10:10
The authorities of Hammerfest (Norway) allowed the creation of a protected zone in the coastal water area. Hvaldimir, a beluga whale, will live there – presumably, he was trained in russia to carry out espionage activities.
Whales were spotted by fishermen near Norwegian waters in 2019. The mammal later settled near Hammerfest and was cared for by local residents and authorities. Straps and a camera were spotted on the whale – the Norwegian special services discovered that they had been installed for espionage.
Allegedly, Hvaldimir was part of the russian federation research program on the use of whales for maritime espionage, The Guardian reports.
The initiative to set up a protected area for the whale is financed by the British businessman Adam Thorpe. He also founded the charity OneWhale, which is engaged in the care of Hvaldimir.
Initially, the whale was planned to be released into the wild, but the animal got used to people — so there were fears that Hvaldimir would not be able to feed himself in the natural environment. There was also a risk that the whales could be euthanized, as they disturbed local farmers by eating farmed salmon and breaking nets.
“I read about it in National Geographic in 2019 and it was disturbing. He has clearly been tamed and has a great personality. I thought if we could create a reserve that would protect the whale from the traffic of ships, it would mean that he would be able to catch fish on his own and live as natural a life as possible,” the businessman said.
Therefore, Thorpe and director Regina Crosby decided to create a whale sanctuary near Hammerfest. Not only Hvaldimir will be kept there, but also other whales that are unfit for life in the wild.
OneWhale is planning to raise £250,000 for the sanctuary to buy nets to protect the site, to build accommodation for staff and a veterinary laboratory to care for the animals.
The whales, which will learn to hunt independently and communicate with each other in the reserve, will be released into the wild.
