“Russian spy” beluga whale that was found dead “had multiple bullet wounds,” animal rights group says – CBS News

Animal rights groups on Wednesday said gunfire killed a beluga whale that rose to fame in Norway after its unusual harness sparked suspicions the creature was trained by Russia as a spy.

The organizations NOAH and One Whale said they had filed a complaint with Norwegian police asking them to open a “criminal investigation.”

Nicknamed “Hvaldimir” in a pun on the Norwegian word for whale, hval, and its purported ties to Moscow, the white beluga first appeared off the coast in Norway’s far-northern Finnmark region in 2019.

He was found dead on Saturday in a bay Norway’s southwestern coast.

His body was transported on Monday to a local branch of the Norwegian Veterinary Institute for autopsy.

via www.cbsnews.com

Don’t mess with Norway I guess, no matter how fancy your harness is.