Russian Spy Beluga Whale Gets Own BBC Documentary: 'Hvaldimir Guarded Ships'

norway - A BBC documentary sheds light on the mysterious beluga whale dubbed Hvaldimir which was found floating in a bay in Norway and was suspected to be a spy whale.

The predominantly white beluga whale, named Hvaldimir, was found floating in the Risavika bay in southern Norway. The BBC documentary, which conducted extensive research on the 4.5-meter-long whale equipped with devices, reveals that the special spy whale was nicknamed Hvaldimir as a combination of the Norwegian word for whale, 'hval,' and the first name of Vladimir Putin.

The 4.2-meter-long whale was first spotted by fishermen in April 2019 near the northern island of Ingoya. It was wearing a harness and what appeared to be a holder for a small camera. There was also a buckle with the text 'Equipment St. Petersburg' on it.

This led to accusations that the beluga was a 'spy whale,' but answers to the mystery remained vague until the release of the documentary 'Secrets of the Spy Whale.' After 10 months of investigating the underwater agent, the filmmakers found evidence that the whale had been trained as a 'guard whale' rather than being sent to sea for maritime espionage.

'Our latest findings bring us closer to the solution, but they also raise many new questions about what Russia would want to protect in the Arctic and why,' said Jennifer Shaw, the director of the film, to The Observer. While Shaw and her team unraveled the mystery, they met a member of the U.S. Navy and former dolphin trainer. He explained the benefits of using such creatures as guards.

Blair Irvine explained that the movements of swimmers create bubbles that produce sound. Since the hearing of dolphins and whales is so sensitive, this is a foolproof method to detect and eliminate intruders. The Soviet Union even launched a whole program. A group of whales is said to still be used to guard the Black Sea Fleet in Crimea.

'In huge floating cages, the animals are first trained to signal when underwater intruders approach. Then they are released.' Shaw said it was clear that Hvaldimir had been trained in a similar way. She had seen him pointing his nose at anything that looked like a target. This strengthened her suspicion that the beluga had been recruited as part of a security patrol, not as a spy.

Hvaldimir was found dead on September 1. Animal rights organizations initially claimed he had been shot, but the whale was found to have died from an infection after a stick had lodged in its mouth. An autopsy revealed a 35-centimeter-long and 3-centimeter-wide rod in the animal's mouth.

Over the years, the beluga spy was seen in various Norwegian coastal towns, and it soon became clear that he was very docile and enjoyed playing with people. Marine Mind reported on the website that Hvaldimir also responded to hand gestures.

Documentary maker Shaw concludes: 'It seems that Hvaldimir ended up in Norway through Russian waters. I think he was caught there once.'