Orange County residents had been fundraising and lobbying for several years to help efforts to create a safe home for a beluga whale living off the Norwegian coastline, but the whale has died before the endeavor was successful.
The pure white whale, which had been named Hvaldimir, captured hearts with his friendly, tame manner, often drawing crowds when he was spotted, which led to several injuries and issues. He was reported dead Sept. 1.
“I’m devastated to hear the Hvaldimir has passed away,” said Rich German, a Laguna Beach ocean advocate, who with others helped fund and care for the whale while eventually getting the Norwegian government on board with creating a sanctuary out of a fjord where the whale could live peacefully.
“I was lucky to spend six weeks with him over the last two years,” German said. “I believe the world lost one of its greatest teachers. Hvaldimir showed us what unconditional love looks like. He taught us about what we can aspire to as humans.”
German helped start the nonprofit OneWhale with former San Clemente resident Regina Crosby, raising more than $140,000 locally toward safeguarding the whale.
But on Saturday, German said 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, confirmed Hvaldimir had died.
The news of Hvaldimir’s death was first reported by a Norwegian public broadcaster, NRK, which said the whale was found floating at the Risavika Bay in southern Norway by a father and son who were fishing.
The beluga was lifted out of the water with a crane and taken to a nearby harbor to be examined. The results of the autopsy are expected to take some time, German said.
German said he spoke with Strand shortly after the discovery and he reported there were no outwardly visible signs of injury.
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The beluga whale had been hanging out along the northern coast of Norway for more than four years. He was named Hvaldimir by the residents of Hammerfest, where he first appeared in 2019 wearing a tight-fitting camera harness labeled “Equipment St. Petersburg,” fueling theories he was once used in spycraft.
Hvaldimir was known to swim up to local boaters, raid fish near salmon farms and even tangle boat propellers with ropes.
In the years since he first appeared in the Hammerfest area, the 14-foot whale suffered life-threatening injuries. His side was sliced, he was caught in boat propellers, had fishing hooks in his tail, and the upper part of his mouth was punctured by people throwing large objects at him to play tug-of-war and fetch.
“He made us rethink how we treat animals and how we treat each other,” German said.
Concern over his well-being escalated last year, after Hvaldimir went on a 900-mile swim south, leaving the area of Hammerfest and heading toward busier waters near Oslo and then into Swedish waters where he swam through tight canals. The Norwegian fisheries department then stepped in, even helping Strand look for the whale after he disappeared for more than a week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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