Whale alleged to be Russian ‘spy’ died after stick became lodged in its mouth, say police | Norway

A beluga whale that rose to fame in Norway after its unusual harness prompted suspicions that the creature was trained by Russia as a spy died after a stick became stuck in its mouth, police have said.

The lifeless body of the whale, named Hvaldimir – a combination of the Norwegian word for whale and the first name of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin – was found floating in the sea on 31 August by a father and son fishing in Risavika Bay, southern Norway.

The animal became the subject of media attention when it was discovered off Norway’s Arctic coast in 2019 wearing a harness fitted with what appeared to be a mount for a small camera.

Norway and Russia share a maritime border in the Arctic, leading to jokes that the whale was a Russian spy.

Norwegian police had opened an investigation after two animal rights groups filed a complaint into the death of the animal, alleging it had been shot.

However, police for the south-west district said on Monday that an autopsy had pointed to a different cause of death. A stick measuring 35cm (14in) in length and 3cm in width had become stuck in the whale’s mouth, they said.

Police added: “The autopsy showed that its stomach was empty. In addition, most organs had broken down. There is nothing in the investigations that have been carried out to establish that it is human activity that has directly led to Hvaldimir’s death.”

As a result, police would not investigate further, they added.

The animal rights groups had alleged the whale had been shot dead. On Monday, police said Hvaldimir had sustained some injuries but they were “completely superficial”, adding “there was no evidence suggesting that Hvaldimir was shot”.

A full report would be ready in two weeks, it said.