🐋💼 Dis Helelele ‘Spy’ Whale Weh Like Pau Hooman Might Be One Big Problem
One beluga whale dem wen dem call Hvaldimir wen show face fo 2019, wen dem spot um dey wear someting weh look like camera harness. Him stay moving towards busy wotas lately, and dat stay make plenny peopo worry about him safety. Hvaldimir, one beluga whale weh wen grow up round Scandinavian wotas fo plenny years, wen dem see um las week off da coast of Sweden, and dat wen make da researchers dem concern, especially if peopo no stay away from um, cause him might stay in danger. 😮📷
Dis whale weh stay real sociable, first wen make name fo himself back in 2019, wen him show up in northern Norway wearing one harness, weh get “St. Petersburg equipment” embossed on top, weh look like um wen made fo hold one camera. Cuz a dat, plenny headline writers dem wen call um one Russian spy. 🎥🕵️♂️
But Hvaldimir, weh him name come from “hval,” weh mean whale in Norwegian, and Vladimir, him stay different from da odda whales. Him get dis liking fo peopo ova odda marine mammals, and dat make da researchers tink dat somebody wen tame him. 🐳🤝🐬
Dem researchers dem say no can really tell if Hvaldimir wen really work as one spy whale, and no country no come out fo claim him. Plenty times, armies dem wen use animals fo all kine stuff, even during da Cold War, wen da Soviet Navy wen train dolphins fo military use. Da U.S. Navy wen train beluga whales fo do stuff like recovery operations and find underwater mines too. Da harness weh Hvaldimir wen wear, weh one fisherman wen take off him wen dey find um in Norway, dat harness could be use fo hold cameras o odda tools. Plus, Hvaldimir wen show interest in divers and collecting stuff, according to Eve Jourdain, one marine biologist from Norway, weh wen start one feeding program fo help Hvaldimir back in 2019. 🐟📸🔧
“I tink dea stay evidence dat da cameras him wen wear no stay fo take pictures of nature,” Regina Crosby Haug, da founder of OneWhale, one organization weh stay get support from da peopo, and weh stay all about taking care of Hvaldimir, wen say. 🤔📸
But da researchers dem stay play it safe wen it come to confirming if Hvaldimir stay one spy. “We no know,” Martin Biuw, one marine mammal biologist from Norway’s Institute of Marine Research, wen say.
Wen come to Hvaldimir, da main ting weh stay clear stay dat him stay lost and swimming in da wrong direction. And da peopo dem no sure wat fo do about him. Eva since 2019, Hvaldimir stay making appearances in Norwegian wotas on da regular, but last week, dem wen see him in one small town off da coast of Sweden. Da norm fo belugas stay fo dem fo stay in da Arctic, so scientists, activists, and odda experts dem stay worried dat Hvaldimir might run out of food o come face to face wit danger in da warmer wotas weh goin get busier wit peopo wen summer come. Dem researchers dem wen mention dat Hvaldimir stay get hurt befoa from hitting boats and da propellers dem. 🌊🚤❌
Dis case remind peopo bout Freya too, one 1,300-pound walrus weh da Norwegian authorities wen kill last summah afta dey wen decide dat she stay one threat to da peopo who stay lookin. But Hvaldimir no goin do da same kine stuff as Freya: whales stay undawatah. 🐋🌞🛥💥
Swedish and Norwegian officials dem no announce any plans fo go help Hvaldimir wit him travels o bring him back to da Arctic, according to da researchers dem. Da Norwegian ministry of fisheries no come out yet fo make one comment. 🇳🇴🇸🇪❌
Ms. Jourdain, da researcher, wen say she wen travel recently fo go check on Hvaldimir. “He look real good,” she wen say. “But dat no mean him condition no stay getting worse.” 😍👩🔬🚶♀️
Da main concern stay dat Hvaldimir no stay getting nuff food. “I no get idea wat him stay eating and if him stay eating nuff,” Ms. Jourdain wen say. Nobody no know fo shua why Hvaldimir stay moving south. Him one young male, so can be him stay looking fo one mate. O him can be searching fo moa food. “You no can really read wat dey saying wit dea body language,” Anna Bisther, one marine biologist weh get experience wit killer whales in Norway, wen say. 🤷♂️🤷♀️🍽️
Ms. Jourdain wen say: “He one Arctic whale, him no suppose to go south. Him one mystery.” 🌍❓
Dis no da first time one beluga whale wen accidentally end up in strange and dangerous place. In August 2022, one malnourished beluga whale weh had wash up in da Seine River in Paris, wen have to get euthanized afta she wen get trouble breathing wen dey try take her out da river fo bring her back to da ocean. In September 2018, one beluga whale wen show up in da River Thames in London. All dis mean dat da right action fo take fo Hvaldimir no stay clear. If dey send him fo go live wit odda beluga whales in da Arctic, dat can be risky, cause he no know wat fo expect from da wild.
Even dough odda belugas goin probably welcome Hvaldimir, Ms. Haug wen warn dat da Arctic get predators too, like orcas. “We no like give orcas easy lunch by sending one whale weh no know no bettah,” Ms. Haug wen say. 🥺🐋🦈
Beluga whales stay one protected species, and get bout 150,000 all ova da world. Dey no see peopo as food. But Hvaldimir, weh dey estimate fo be about 14 feet long and weigh bout 3,000 pounds, can be dangerous to hoomans cause him so big.
“No go invade him space; him can be dangerous if him stay provoked,” Ms. Jourdain wen warn. “And we know wat kind ending goin happen if dat.” 🚫👨👨👧👧⚠️
NOW IN ENGLISH
🐋💼 This famous “Spy” Whale Who Likes People Might Be One Big Problem
One beluga whale named Hvaldimir first made an appearance in 2019, when it was spotted wearing what appeared to be a camera harness. Recently, Hvaldimir has been moving towards busier waters, raising concerns for its safety. Hvaldimir, a domesticated beluga whale that has been seen in Scandinavian waters for years, was sighted off the coast of Sweden last week, causing worry among researchers who fear it could be in danger, especially if people don’t keep their distance from it. 😮📷
This highly sociable whale gained fame in 2019 when it appeared in northern Norway wearing a harness labeled “St. Petersburg equipment,” which seemed designed for holding a camera. This led to speculation and headlines dubbing it a Russian spy. 🎥🕵️♂️
However, Hvaldimir, a name derived from the Norwegian word for whale, “hval,” and Vladimir, is different from other whales. It appears to have a preference for interacting with humans over other marine mammals, leading researchers to believe it may have been domesticated. 🐳🤝🐬
Researchers say it is impossible to know for sure if Hvaldimir was truly a spy whale, and no country has claimed ownership of it. The use of animals for military purposes, such as the Soviet Navy training dolphins during the Cold War, is well-documented. The U.S. Navy has also trained beluga whales for tasks like recovery operations and locating underwater mines. The harness Hvaldimir was wearing, which was later removed by a fisherman in Norway, could have been intended for holding cameras or other tools. Additionally, Hvaldimir has shown interest in divers and collecting objects, according to marine biologist Eve Jourdain, who initiated a feeding program to aid Hvaldimir in 2019. 🐟📸🔧
“I believe there is evidence that the cameras he was wearing were not for nature photography,” said Regina Crosby Haug, the founder of OneWhale, a crowdfunded organization dedicated to Hvaldimir’s well-being. 🤔📸
However, researchers remain cautious about confirming Hvaldimir’s spy status. “We have no idea,” said Martin Biuw, a marine mammal biologist from Norway’s Institute of Marine Research.
What is clear is that Hvaldimir appears to be lost and swimming in the wrong direction, leaving observers uncertain about what should be done. Since 2019, Hvaldimir has been regularly seen in Norwegian waters, but it was spotted last week in a small town off the coast of Sweden. Belugas are typically found in the Arctic, and the southward journey of Hvaldimir raises concerns among scientists, activists, and experts who worry that it may face food scarcity or dangers in warmer waters that become increasingly crowded with people during the summer. Researchers mentioned that Hvaldimir has previously been injured by colliding with boats and their propellers. 🌊🚤❌
This case brings to mind the story of Freya, a 1,300-pound walrus that was euthanized by Norwegian authorities last summer due to concerns about public safety. While Freya became famous for sunbathing on decks and causing damage to boats, Hvaldimir behaves differently as whales primarily stay underwater. 🐋🌞🛥💥
Swedish and Norwegian officials have not announced any plans to intervene in Hvaldimir’s travels or relocate it back to the Arctic, according to researchers. The Norwegian Ministry of Fisheries has not provided an immediate response to requests for comment. 🇳🇴🇸🇪❌
Ms. Jourdain, the researcher, recently visited Hvaldimir to assess its condition. “He looked great,” she said, “but that doesn’t mean his situation isn’t deteriorating.” 😍👩🔬🚶♀️
The primary concern, she explained, is that Hvaldimir may not be getting enough food. “I have no idea what he’s feeding on or if he’s getting enough,” Ms. Jourdain expressed. The reason behind Hvaldimir’s southward movement remains unclear. As a young male, it is possible that he is searching for a mate. Alternatively, he may be in search of more food. “Their body language is not easily decipherable,” said Anna Bisther, a marine biologist with experience working with killer whales in Norway. 🤷♂️🤷♀️🍽️
Ms. Jourdain remarked, “He’s an Arctic whale; he shouldn’t be heading south. He’s a mystery.” 🌍❓
This is not the first time a beluga whale has accidentally found itself in unknown and dangerous territory. In August 2022, a malnourished beluga whale stranded in the Seine River in Paris was euthanized due to breathing difficulties during the attempt to return it to the sea. In September 2018, a beluga whale appeared in the River Thames in London. This also means that the appropriate course of action for Hvaldimir remains unclear. Sending it to live with other beluga whales in the Arctic could be risky as it is not accustomed to the wild.
While other belugas would likely welcome Hvaldimir due to their highly social nature, the Arctic is also home to predators such as orcas. “We don’t want to present an easy meal to orcas by sending a tame whale who doesn’t know any better,” Ms. Haug cautioned. 🥺🐋🦈
Beluga whales are a protected species, with an estimated global population of about 150,000, and they do not view humans as prey. However, due to its size, Hvaldimir, estimated to be about 14 feet long and weighing approximately 3,000 pounds, could pose a danger to humans.
“Do not invade his space; he can potentially be dangerous if provoked,” Ms. Jourdain warned. “And we know the potential outcome of such encounters.” 🚫👨👨👧👧⚠️
