Mystery of Hvaldimir's death: Whale's autopsy reveals truth

The Norwegian police have stated that Hvaldimir, the white whale spotted five years ago in Norwegian waters and found dead on 31 August, died due to a stick lodged in its mouth. The animal's death was not related to human activity.

Hvaldimir's body, floating in the water, was discovered a week ago by a father and son fishing in southern Norway. The name Hvaldimir is derived from the Norwegian word "hval", meaning whale, and Vladimir Putin's name.

Hvaldimir, a beluga whale, gained media attention in 2019 when it approached fishermen in the Norwegian Sea, wearing a harness with camera mounts and the inscription "St Petersburg equipment." It is suspected that the Russian navy trained it for espionage tasks.

The Norwegian police launched an investigation following reports from two animal rights organisations, One Whale and NOAH, which suspected that the whale had been shot.

The autopsy revealed that a stick 14 inches long and 1 inch wide was lodged in Hvaldimir's mouth. The animal had an empty stomach, and most of its organs were not functioning.

Since "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", the investigation has been closed, the Norwegian police reported.

Fifteen-year-old Hvaldimir, measuring 14 feet and weighing 1.2 tons, was not old for a beluga, which can live up to 60 years.