The Norwegian animal rights organizations NOAH and One Whale have filed a complaint with the Norwegian police, demanding an official investigation into the incident.
In 2019, the whale, which was seen for the first time off the coast of Finnmark in northern Norway and was wearing a special harness, came to the agenda with suspicions that it could be a spy trained by Russia.
The white whale, dubbed “Hvaldimir”, was found dead last Saturday in a bay in southwestern Norway. Hvaldimir was taken to the Norwegian Veterinary Institute for an autopsy on Monday, where multiple gunshot wounds were found on his body.
The autopsy report is expected to be completed
NOAH Director Siri Martinsen said in a statement: “The injuries on the whale are very worrying and could be criminal. It is therefore extremely important that the police intervene quickly.”
Police officials said they had received the complaint and were considering whether to launch an investigation into the incident. The autopsy report is expected to be completed in the next three weeks.
The whale was spotted in 2019 wearing a harness. It was wearing an apparatus suitable for an action camera and a plastic buckle labeled “Equipment St. Petersburg”.
This strengthened the claims that the whale was trained by the Russian Navy.
