Back in 2019, a mysterious beluga whale was found by fishermen off the coast of Norway, sporting a spy camera that read, "Equipment St. Petersburg."
Given Russia's propensity for enlisting trained marine life like whales and dolphins for spying missions, it was widely assumed that this was a Russian spy whale, and the Norwegians named him Hvaldimir, after Vladimir Putin.
The whale was clearly trained as he loved people, returning dropped electronics, playing sports, and wrestling underwater drones.
And the people loved Hvaldimir.
Here are just a few videos showing why:
Hvaldimir didn't really know how to interact with other beluga whales, preferring human companionship, so efforts were underway to relocate him to a wild beluga population in the Arctic in the hopes of increasing his chances for survival in the wild.
But hopes for Hvaldimir's safety were dashed on Saturday, when he was found dead in what OneWhale called the 'heavily trafficked waters just outside of Stavanger, Norway.'
Two animal rights groups say he was shot to death.
Photos show what look like puncture or bullet wounds:
The Norwegian government is not confirming their claims, but they are performing an autopsy to determine an official cause of death.
Given the whale's background in international espionage, you know online rumors are swirling.
Right now, only one mammal really knows what happened, and he's taken that secret (along with who knows how many others) to the grave.
RIP, Hvaldimir.
Say "hi" to Harambe and the Doge when you see them!
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
