The Jane Goodall Institute is deeply saddened by the tragic death of Hvaldimir the Beluga Whale and calls for animal advocates to be inspired by kindness and work together to honour his memory.
The body of the beluga known as Hvaldimir was found by fishermen, floating in the waters off Norway on 31 August 2024. Full results of an examination have not been released but preliminary information shared by the police indicates that he was not intentionally harmed.
Hvaldimir was initially discovered swimming in Norwegian waters in 2019, wearing a harness imprinted with the words “Equipment St Petersburg”, and what appeared to be a mount for a small camera. He was very interested in people and sought their company, with both aspects leading to the assumption that he had been held captive in Russia and had escaped. However, many unanswered questions remain about his past.
In mid-2024, there was a push by some interested parties to move Hvaldimir to waters in the far north of Norway, closer to the Russian border. After carefully reviewing the available scientific evidence and ethical considerations, in August Dr Jane Goodall and a working group that shares her values co-signed a letter to the Norwegian Authorities, appealing against his relocation far away from the familiarity of the waters where he had spent the previous few years.
The letter suggested the best course of action for such an intelligent, emotionally, and socially complex marine mammal was to respect his own choices unless there were very good reasons to decide otherwise. There appeared to be no imminent danger to him other than his obvious fondness for people.
Tragically, a few weeks later, Hvaldimir perished. This led to intimidating tactics from some animal advocates and members of the public who blamed his death on those who argued against relocating him. Dr. Jane Goodall states: “The fact that he died emphasizes how undesirable it would have been to move him.” Imagine Hvaldimir living in a remote location, far away from familiar humans.
Let us be inspired by kindness, as Hvaldimir showed towards us. His sad passing is a poignant reminder to us all that to create a more respectful world for all animals, we, as humans must also respect one another.
The Jane Goodall Institute’s Global Ethics Committee has published a statement calling for a ban on capturing, keeping and breeding cetaceans in captivity.
