---
title: "The Suspected Russian Spy Whale Isn’t Looking So Good"
description: "A friendly beluga whale who has been suspected of being a Russian spy is looking downright skinny in a recent photo compared to a 2019 image."
date: "2023-08-02"
modified: "2023-08-02"
authors:
  - name: "Sharon Adarlo"
    job_title: "Correspondent"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/sadarlo"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/suspected-russian-spy-whale-not-looking-so-good"
categories:
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "beluga whale"
  - "russian spy"
  - "the digest"
  - "whale"
---

# The Suspected Russian Spy Whale Isn’t Looking So Good

![A friendly beluga whale who has been suspected of being a Russian spy is looking downright skinny in a recent photo compared to a 2019 image.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/suspected-russian-spy-whale-not-looking-so-good.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Henriette Marie Saga via @emmaluck22 (Twitter)\</em\>*

## Skinny Whale

A friendly beluga whale which has been suspected of being a Russian spy is not looking so great right now.

Instead of having the robust shape of a healthy beluga whale, Hvaldimir is looking downright skinny [in a recent photo](<https://twitter.com/emmaluck22/status/1684981777113432064>) compared to his appearance in earlier images in which he looked far more blubbery.

"Hvaldimir, who has returned to southern Norway, appears to be alarmingly thin," [tweeted Emma Luck](<https://twitter.com/emmaluck22/status/1684981777113432064>), a marine science student and [whale tracker](<https://happywhale.com/user/325>). "The first photo, taken by Henriette Marie Saga, is recent. The second photo is a from a screenshot of a video I took of him in 2019. You can see how much weight he has lost."

Earlier this summer in May, [scientists were concerned](<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/29/suspected-russia-trained-spy-whale-reappears-off-swedens-coast>) that Hvaldimir had lost weight and was not eating enough fish.

## Splish Splash

Hvaldimir first became [famous in 2019](<https://www.npr.org/2023/05/31/1179114070/russian-spy-whale-sweden-hvaldimir>) when fishermen in Norway found him wearing a harness with a camera mount and the words "Equipment of St. Petersburg" written on the strap.

The strap was later removed, but it dovetailed with bizarre reports of Russian military [training belugas, dolphins and seals](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/whale-russian-weapon-found-norway>) for secret missions.

When Hvaldimir first became known to the public, [Luck tweeted](<https://twitter.com/emmaluck22/status/1684999561532825600>) that the Norwegian Orca Survey was monitoring and feeding him because he was "malnourished," but Hvaldimir "left the area not too long after that and began feeding himself successfully."

While [Luck later tweeted](<https://twitter.com/emmaluck22/status/1684999751715188736>) that the Norwegian government has been hands off, perhaps another intervention is needed for Hvaldimir, who has led a largely solitary existence far from other beluga whale pods that usually congregate [in the Arctic Ocean, north of Norway and around Greenland](<https://www.businessinsider.com/beluga-whale-rumored-russian-spy-wears-harness-pops-up-sweden-2023-5>).

At the end of the day, it's our fault. Hvaldimir never asked to be taken away from his kind, and the burden of blame falls on our shoulders as a species.

**More on Hvaldimir:** [*Suspected Russian Spy Whale Reappears, Possibly Lonely and Wanting Love*](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/suspected-russian-spy-whale-reappears-possibly-lonely-and-wanting-love>)