A beluga whale, that appeared in 2019 in Norway wearing a harness raised suspicions that it was a spy trained by the Russian Navy, has now the reappeared off Sweden's coast. The whale was first discovered in Norway's far northern region of Finnmark where it spent more than three years slowly moving down the top half of the Norwegian coastline. Then it allegedly sped up in recent months to cover the second half and move on to Sweden, reported the Guardian. He was sighted in Hunnebostrand, off Sweden's southwestern coast, on Sunday.
A marine biologist with the OneWhale organisation, Sebastian Strand, said, “We don’t know why he has sped up so fast right now." He added that it was particularly puzzling as he was moving "very quickly away from his natural environment.”
While giving reasons behind such a quick pace, Strand said, “It could be hormones driving him to find a mate. Or it could be loneliness, as belugas are a very social species – it could be that he’s searching for other beluga whales.” He also said that the whale is believed to be around 13-14 years old which is an age where his hormones will be very high.
The whale is believed to not have seen another beluga since his arrival in Norway in April 2019 and the closest population of belugas is located in the Svalbard archipelago, which lies between the northern coast of Norway and the north pole.
Norwegians nicknamed him Hvaldimir – a pun on whale in Norwegian, hval, and a nod to its alleged association with Russia.
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Marine biologists from the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries removed the manmade harness from him when he first appeared in the Norwegian Arctic. The harness which was removed had a mount suited for an action camera and the words "Equipment St Petersburg" were printed on the plastic clasps of it. Directorate officials said that the whale may have escaped an enclosure, and then might have been trained by the Russian navy, as he appeared to be very accustomed to humans, reported the Guardian. Moscow on the other hand hasn't issued any official response to such claims till now.
Another reason for the Norwegian to believe that it is a Russian spy is the area in which it is moving. The Barents Sea is a strategic geopolitical area where Western and Russian submarine movements are closely monitored. Meanwhile, it is also the gateway to the Northern Sea Route, a route which shortens the maritime journeys between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
As per the biologist, Strand, the health of the whale “seemed to be very good” in recent years, and he had been foraging wild fish under Norway’s salmon farms. However, his organisation was still worried about the whale's ability to find food in Sweden as it already has undergone some weight loss.
Beluga whales typically live between 40 and 60 years and may grow up to be around six metres (20 feet) long. They are found in the icy waters between Greenland, northern Norway, and Russia.