Activists Fury After Alleged ‘Russian Spy’ Whale’s Cause of Death Revealed

Norwegian police have dismissed claims from local animal rights organizations that the death of a beluga whale suspected of being used as a Russian spy was a deliberate act.

Dubbed “Hvaldimir”—which takes from the Norweigan word for whale and adds part of the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin–the whale was discovered dead in waters off southwestern Norway on August 31.

Hvaldimir gained worldwide attention after the animal was spotted off Norway’s Arctic coast with a harness attached its body that appeared to support a mounted camera.

Read more at The Daily Beast.