There are many stories of intelligent animals, but there is only one Russian spy whale that we know of, and perhaps all the mystery that accompanies them is over. We broke the sad news in September: The beluga whale named Hvaldimir was found dead off the southwestern coast of Norway. Now the BBC investigation seems to have found the definitive answer and we imagine Hollywood executives are running in circles.

Inside the story. In April 2019, the beluga whale caused a media sensation. It appeared unexpectedly in the cold waters of northern Norway and surprised local fishermen. The whale, nicknamed “Hvaldimir” by locals (a portmanteau of “hval”, Norwegian for “whale”, and “Vladimir”, a reference to the Russian president), was wearing a harness that immediately sparked speculation about its possible connection to the whale. Russian espionage operations.

Why? The harness, in addition to being a rare feature in the wild species, bore a brace that suggested it might have carried a camera or similar device, and had the words “Team St. Petersburg” written on it in English. origin. If this was a joke, it had attracted international attention.

A different whale. It was later learned that Hvaldimir behaved in an extremely friendly and educated manner, approaching ships without fear and displaying behavior that indicated a previous life in captivity. Joar Hesten, one of the fishermen who interacted with the creature, described how the whale brushed up against his boat, displaying an unusual trust and closeness towards humans for a wild whale. This, along with the existence of the harness, sparked the mother of all theories: Hvaldimir had escaped from a Russian navy training program.

Really? From the moment the Russian connection first began to be suggested, Moscow never confirmed it, but it is also true that it never denied it, which gave rise to the circumstances of its first sighting 415 kilometers away from Murmansk, where the Russian Northern Fleet was based. created doubts.

Two years ago, USNI News, the information portal of the US Naval Institute, claimed that Russia had installed dolphin enclosures at the entrance to the port of Sevastopol, its main naval base on the Black Sea. Their mission: To prevent submarine sabotage. The deployment of dolphins to protect the northern fleet was also confirmed by the British intelligence service. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union even trained animals to defuse mines, attack divers, and even kamikaze. In 2000, the BBC claimed that Iran had actually purchased dolphins trained by the Soviet navy to fight divers.

Yes it will. Finally, the BBC released a documentary of the investigation it is conducting. Olga Shpak, a scientist and marine mammal expert who has worked extensively on the Hvaldimir case, stated that the whale most likely belonged to a Russian military program in the Arctic. According to Shpak, Hvaldimir should not have been trained as a spy but to perform surveillance duties at a naval base. Based on information provided by colleagues and experts in Russia, Shpak explained that the whale was captured in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk in 2013 and transferred to a military program in the Arctic a year later.

Hvaldimir’s traits, such as his intelligence and energetic, rebellious nature, would have made the animal a suitable choice for training. However, according to some of his former trainers in the documentary, this same independence is likely what drove him to escape whenever he had the opportunity (they actually describe the animal as somewhat of a “hooligan” or mischievous).

Military use of animals. The BBC ended with a thought. Hvaldimir’s case has reopened the debate over the use of animals for military purposes, a practice that Russia has pursued for decades. Programs to train marine animals for military functions such as surveillance or other missions raise profound ethical questions about the manipulation of animal life for human purposes.

Although the strategic benefits of these programs are important for the countries involved, Hvaldimir’s fate highlights the personal costs and lasting impact on the lives of creatures that are left scarred and, in many cases, unable to fully return to their natural habitats. .

Hvaldimir’s story, from his mysterious appearance in Norway to his death years later, symbolizes a narrative of incomplete freedom, marked by human intervention and the inevitable tension between nature and technology.

Image | United Nations Photo, Ocean

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