It appears from a necropsy’s preliminary report, the beluga whale some Orange County residents spent years trying to get sheltered in a Norway fjord died from malnutrition before their efforts could see success.
The whale, Hvaldimir, probably too tame for his own good, was found dead Sept. 1 at the Risavika Bay in southern Norway. He had been hanging out along the northern coast of Norway for more than four years, often playing tug-of-war with the crowds that surrounded him, swimming up to local boaters and raiding fish near salmon farms. OneWhale, a nonprofit that had been helping protect the whale and create him a sanctuary, was founded by a couple of Orange County residents.
Norwegian police released the preliminary report Monday, Sept. 9, confirming a stick lodged in the whale’s mouth was “potentially preventing him from ingesting food” and appears to be the cause of his death. Sebastian Strand, a marine biologist who once worked with OneWhale but formed his own Norway-based nonprofit Marine Mind and had been keeping his eye on the friendly whale, provided the release.
“The necropsy found that his stomach was empty at the time of discovery and that his internal organs were degraded,” said Rich German, a Laguna Beach environmentalist who cofounded OneWhale and was among those who helped raise $140,000 in Orange County to save the whale.
The pure white beluga whale first appeared off the Norway coast in 2019 wearing a tight-fitting camera harness labeled “Equipment St. Petersburg,” fueling theories that he was once used in spycraft.
Hvaldimir captured hearts with his friendly, tame manner, often drawing crowds when he was spotted, which led to several injuries and issues and the efforts to get him relocated to a protected fjord.
Following his death, there were multiple media reports suggesting he was killed by gunshots, but the police report found no evidence of that.
“There are no findings from the autopsy that indicate that Hvaldimir has been shot,” police said in a statement. Any visual wounds were superficial and “non-fatal.”
“I’m glad he wasn’t shot and killed,” German said Monday following the results of the report. “It’s still tragic; I hope he didn’t have to suffer.”
