A final post-mortem examination by Norway’s Veterinary Institute has concluded that Hvaldimir’s probable cause of death was bacterial infection, possibly due to a wound in the mouth from a 14-inch lodged stick which may have led to Hvaldimir having difficulties eating, absorbing nutrients and increasing the risk of infection. There have been no findings from the necropsy that indicate that Hvaldimir had been shot and deliberately killed. He was not the victim of deliberate harm. Surface-level injuries sustained were likely caused by birds pecking his body, there was no bullet wound when examined.
X-rays of his chest and head were carried out without any projectiles or other metal fragments being detected. Sadly, the male whale was found dead on 31 August 2024 in a bay near Risavika, southwestern Norway. Hvaldimir appeared near Hammerfest, northern Norway in 2019 allegedly wearing a camera harness which led to widespread speculation that he had been trained by the Russian military but escaped, these claims however were never officially confirmed. Over the years Hvaldimir frequented Norwegian waters where until his death, he regularly interacted with people and boats.
Hvaldimir’s skeleton will be displayed at the Nature Museum in Kristiansand, Norway sometime in the Spring of 2025. There are also plans to conduct genetic tests to ascertain where Hvaldimir originally came from and hopefully what beluga population he belonged to, before being taken from the wild in all probability from Russian waters, when he was thought to have been trained for Russian military purposes.
