Norway Hammerfest Hvladimir the Beluga Whale
Image details
Contributor:
Al Armiger / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
2GG120EFile size:
68.7 MB (3.1 MB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
6000 x 4000 px | 50.8 x 33.9 cm | 20 x 13.3 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
1 July 2019More information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hvaldimir Hvaldimir From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigationJump to search Sign at Hammerfest Harbour in Norwegian and English warning against interfering with Hvaldimir Hvaldimir is a male[1] beluga whale that fishermen near Hammerfest in northern Norway noticed in April 2019 wearing a camera harness; after being freed from the harness, the whale remained in the area and appeared used to humans. Speculation that he had been trained by Russia as a spy whale led to his being dubbed Hvaldimir, a pun on the Norwegian hval (whale) and Vladimir Putin. Contents 1 Appearances and reactions 1.1 Interactions with people 2 Theories and naming 3 References 4 External links Appearances and reactions Hvaldimir at Hammerfest Harbour The whale appeared beginning on 26 April 2019 north of Hammerfest, off the island of Ingøya and near the village of Tufjord on the island of Rolvsøya, wearing a tight-fitting camera harness labelled "Equipment St. Petersburg", and rubbing against boats in apparent attempts to free himself.[2][3] Animal rescue staff and fishers worked to free him from the harness, a fisher named Joar Hesten finally putting on a survival suit and jumping over the side of the boat to loosen the buckles.[2][4] The whale continued to return to the boats for several days, asking for food and playing fetch, [5][6][7] and has shown himself to be very tame, coming when called and liking to be scratched around the blowhole.[6][7][8][9] He later followed a boat to Hammerfest harbour.[8][10] The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries and the police urged the public not to feed the whale[11] and to leave him alone to avoid stressing him. There was concern he might become aggressive[12] or might become too dependent on humans, like Keiko the orca.[13] A proposal was made to place the whale in a sanctuary in Iceland which already houses two belugas from China, [3][10][14] but since he seemed to be making efforts to find his own food, the