Norwegian Authority Asks People To Stay Away From Hvaldimir's 'Spy' Whale For Safety

JAKARTA - The Norwegian Fisheries Directorate asked the public to avoid contact with the defendanted beluga whale, so as not to injure or kill him accidentally.

The whale, dubbed Hvaldimir, rose to prominence in the international world in 2019, after being seen wearing a specially made strap with a mount for cameras, which led experts to believe the whale may have been trained by the Russian military.

Since 2019, the whale has "traveled along the Norwegian coast" with several stops along the way, according to the directorate.

"Hvaldimir tends to live in waters that allow him to fish and'repulse' with excessive feed," the directorate added.

Hvaldimir is known to like to follow the ship and play with the people in it.

The whale, which is a protected species in Norway, now lives in the inner Oslojord, the directorate said.

"This means the whale has arrived in a very densely populated area, and the risk of the whale being injured due to contact with humans has become much larger," explained the directorate.

Meanwhile, in a statement on Wednesday, Fisheries Director Frank Bakke-Jensen said, "So far there have only been minor incidents where whales suffered minor injuries, mainly due to contact with ships."

But he urged people to keep their distance, "even though the whale is tame and used to being around humans."

"We specifically encourage people on board, to keep their distance so that whales are not injured or, in the worst case, killed by boat traffic," Bakke-Jensen urged.

Given the dangers, Bakke-Jensen was asked if the whale should be placed in captivity.

"We always say that the whale in question is an animal that lives freely and we see no reason to catch it and put it behind the barrier," he explained.

However, now the whale is "in a more vulnerable area and access to food may be limited, we will consider different measures," he said. "However, it is too early to say anything concrete about it," said Bakke-Jensen.