By JAN M. OLSEN (Associated Press)
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norwegian authorities stated Tuesday {that a} beluga whale, which was first noticed in Arctic Norway 4 years in the past with an obvious Russian-made harness and alleged to have come from a Russian army facility, has been seen off Sweden’s coast almost 2,000 kilometers (round 1,250 miles) to the south.
“During the last few weeks, it has moved quickly and swam several hundred kilometers” earlier than reaching waters off Sweden’s west coast, Olav Lekve of the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries stated.
He stated it has been reported off Lysekill, which sits north of Goteborg, Sweden’s second-largest metropolis. There was no speedy remark from Swedish authorities.
Last week, the white mammal was noticed within the inside Oslo fjord the place the directorate urged individuals to keep away from contact with the animal to make sure its security and wellbeing. Whale-watchers in Norway have nicknamed it Hvaldimir, combining the Norwegian phrase for whale — hval — and the Russian first title Vladimir.
The directorate identified that there was a danger of damage for Hvaldimir when extra leisure boats than typical gathered within the fjord as individuals sought to catch a glimpse of an enormous U.S. plane provider, the USS Gerald R. Ford, which briefly visited the Norwegian capital.
“We have not received any reports from the inner Oslo fjord that give cause for concern,” Lekve stated in an e mail to The Associated Press.
As to its origins, Norwegian authorities “don’t wish to speculate on it both, Lekve stated.
“He is a little lonely whale who hopes to find other white whales that he can hang out with,” stated Sebastian Strand, a marine biologist with Onewhale, a nonprofit group created solely for shielding the well being and welfare of Hvaldimir.
“There are few beluga whales along the Norwegian coast and in Sweden. He probably wants to have a family but has swum a little wrong,” he informed Swedish broadcaster TV4.
Carl Bildt, Sweden’s former overseas minister, jokingly steered to TV4 that Hvaldimir must be granted political asylum in Sweden, saying “it is possible that it is a refugee protesting against (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s war” in Ukraine.
Lekve stated that, when in Norwegian waters, the beluga whale was thought-about a protected wild marine mammal, and authorities in Norway have “rejected all inquiries and plans to capture the whale.”
In 2019, the enigmatic whale was discovered frolicking in a frigid harbor close to Norway’s northernmost level, the place it grew to become a neighborhood attraction. The whale, which is now not sporting the harness, is so comfy with folks that it swims to the dock and retrieves plastic rings thrown into the ocean.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”