A beluga whale purportedly trained as a Russian spy that was found dead off the coast of Norway this weekend died with “multiple bullet wounds,” according to an animal rights group.
Dubbed “Hvaldimir” as a pun on hval, the Norwegian word for whale, the beluga made a name for itself for allegedly being put to work by the Russian regime as an aquatic spy.
Hvaldimir’s lifeless body was found floating in the waters off the southwestern coast of the Scandinavian country Saturday and transported to a local veterinary institute for a necropsy, which revealed he “had multiple bullet wounds around his body,” advocacy group One Whale’s chief Regina Crosby Haug told AFP after viewing the body.
It was not immediately known whether the bullets caused his death, and a spokesperson for Norwegian Veterinary Institute told CBS a full report would be released within three weeks.
