The celebrity whale known as “Hvaldimir” was last week observed in the inner Oslofjord.
Now experts believe they have observed beluga in Hunnebostrand, along the West Coast in our neighboring country my brother.
– I’m 100 percent sure it’s him. We were together for a few hours yesterday and he has some very special scars, said Norwegian marine biologist Sebastian Strand of the organization Onewhale to Aftonbladet.
He himself was traveling to Hunnebostrand when he heard rumors that Hvaldimir had traveled to Sweden.
Warning: Keep your distance
Swim south
– We don’t know why he’s moving so fast now, added Strand Guard.
He said it was a mystery why Hvaldimir moved away from his natural habitat.
– It could be hormones that push him to find a mate. Or it could be lonely, as belugas are a very social species. It is possible that he was looking for another beluga, said the marine biologist.
Complete secrecy around Hvaldimir
Hvaldimir is believed to be between 13-14 years old, and according to Strand, he is at an age when his hormone levels are very high.
The nearest white whale belongs to the Svalbard archipelago. The researchers assumed that Hvaldimir had not encountered a single white whale since he was first observed in Norway.
Spy whale
Hvaldimir became a sensation when he made his first appearance outside of Rolfsøya in Finnmark in late April 2019.
Since then, it has spent more than three years moving along the northern part of the Norwegian coastline, before suddenly moving south last month.
There is some speculation about where Hvaldimir actually came from. The most widespread theory is that he was a Russian “spy whale” who had escaped from a military camp.
Watch “Hvaldimir” swimming with trash
And marine biologist Sebastian Strand told Aftonbladet he believed Hvaldimir was a former Russian spy.
– I could have sworn he was a spy. “We have very strong indications, but no confirmation from Russia,” he told the paper.
When Hvaldimir was first spotted in 2019, he was wearing a suit of armor with St Petersburg text and a GoPro camera.
– He may have trained in Russia for eight years, but he was born in nature before he was arrested, says Strand.
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