In 2019, a beluga (beluga), suspected of being a ‘spy’ after being found in the Nordic seas with Russian equipment attached, appeared off the coast of Sweden in four years.
According to the British daily Guardian on the 29th (local time), the dolphin was found the day before on the coast of Hunnebostland in southwestern Sweden.
The dolphin, which was first discovered in the Finnmark region of northern Norway in April 2019, has moved south from the northern coast of Norway for more than three years, and is said to have accelerated in recent months to come down to the Swedish coast.
When the dolphin was first discovered, it was speculated that it might have been trained as a spy by the Russian Navy, as it had a holder for an action cam and a plastic strip labeled “St. Petersburg equipment.”
Norwegian officials have raised the possibility that the dolphin may have escaped from its habitat, and that it may have been trained by the Russian Navy. Russia has not made any official statement regarding the speculation.
In Norway, the dolphin was given the nickname “Hvaldimir”, a Russian name for the Norwegian word “whale” (Hval), and the belt was removed.
First discovered in April 2019, Hvaldimir. YouTube channel ‘OneWhale’ video captureRegarding the recent discovery of Valdimir off the coast of Sweden, Sebastian Strand, a marine biologist from Norway’s Valdimir support organization ‘OneWhale’, said, “The whale moved very quickly out of its natural environment.” I don’t know,” he said. He said, “It is curious that he is moving away from the natural environment he was in very quickly.”
“It could be hormonal action to find a mate, or it could be loneliness,” he explained. “Belugas are very social species, so there is a possibility that they are looking for other belugas.”
At the same time, he estimated Valdimir’s age at 13 to 14 years old, adding that he was “an age with a lot of hormones.”
It is believed that Valdimyri has not encountered another beluga since it was first sighted in 2019. Beluga habitats close to this region are the Svalbard Islands, between the northern coast of Norway and the Arctic.
Strand said Valdimir had come to feed on wild fish near a salmon farm in Norway and appeared to be in good health.
However, he added that he was concerned about whether Valdimir would be able to find food well in Sweden in the future, adding that he had recently observed weight loss.
Belugas are tall, up to about 6 m, and live about 40 to 60 years. It mainly lives in the icy seas around Greenland, northern Norway, and Russia. This area of the Barents Sea is a geopolitical strategic point where the movements of Western and Russian submarines are monitored, and it serves as a gateway to the North Sea route that shortens the Atlantic and Pacific voyages.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.