'Russian whale agent' appears off the coast of Sweden

Photo taken on April 26, 2019 shows the beluga whale Hvaldimir wearing a mysterious belt.

A beluga whale has appeared off the coast of Sweden after being discovered in Norway in 2019 with a mysterious belt, sparking speculation that the animal is a spy trained by the Russian Navy, according to AFP on May 29.

First spotted in the Finnmark region of northern Norway, the whale spent more than three years moving slowly along the upper half of the country's coast, before suddenly accelerating in recent months and reaching Sweden.

On May 28, this dolphin was discovered in the Hunnebostrand area off the southwest coast of Sweden.

"We don't know why it accelerated so quickly, especially since it was moving so quickly away from its natural environment," said biologist Sebastian Strand of the US-based OneWhale organization, which tracked and named the male whale Hvaldimir.

"It could be hormones that are pushing it to find a mate. Or it could be loneliness because belugas are a very social species, maybe it's looking for other belugas," said Strand.

The expert believes Hvaldimir is around 13-14 years old, an age when hormones are at their peak. However, the closest beluga population is in the Svalbard archipelago north of Norway. The beluga whale appears to have not seen any other beluga whales since arriving in Norway in April 2019.

When they appeared near Norway, the marine biologists removed the harness, which had a mount suitable for an action camera on it and the words "St. Petersburg Equipment" printed on the plastic hook.

Norwegian authorities believe Hvaldimir may have escaped captivity, and may have been trained by the Russian Navy as it appears accustomed to humans. Moscow has not officially responded to Norwegian speculation that it may be a "Russian agent".

Beluga whales can grow up to 6m long and have a lifespan of 40-60 years, usually living in cold waters around Greenland, northern Norway and Russia.

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