The story of Hvaldimir, a beluga whale, intertwines with a viral video, South African accents, and a rugby ball, creating a complex narrative that highlights the importance of fact-checking in the age of misinformation. The initial post accompanying the video expressed concern: "This one makes my head and my heart hurt." Likely you’ve seen it, the video of a “wild” Beluga playing catch with a rugby ball?
Two points not being addressed by those reporting this: (1) This is being reported as being in Antarctica but Belugas don’t live in Antarctica. (2) This is not natural / spontaneous behaviour. Then I went digging. The pieces came together very quickly as they would have had news agencies been able to fact-check appropriately.
Above: The range of Beluga Whales - only in Arctic seas, NOT near Antarctica.
Hvaldimir: The "Russian Spy Whale"
The whale in the video is "Hvaldimir," a beluga found off northern Norway in April 2019 with a harness marked "Equipment of St. Petersburg" (as confirmed by the Hvaldimir Foundation). This whale has been referenced as “the Russian spy whale”. Likely Hvaldimir’s training would have included being rewarded with food when retrieving objects.
There are efforts to have Hvaldimir adjust to being in the wild. Initially this included the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries issuing official approval for the Norwegian Orca Survey to feed him since he was malnourished. These actions perpetuate habituation of the whale and reduce his chances to feed for himself and, as aforementioned, are contrary to Norwegian efforts to rehabilitate the whale.
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Beloved “Russian spy” whale found dead under mysterious circumstances
The Viral Video and South African Connection
On November 6th, someone used the video to associate it with South Africa winning the 2019 Rugby World Cup on November 2nd. He framed the video as being: “Beluga Whale celebrating the Springboks victory somewhere close to the South Pole! Spot the Cape Town build Gemini Craft and the South African accents.” The accents and jargon of the people on the boat are indeed South African, the brand of the boat is South African and the ball is indeed a 2019 official Rugby World Cup ball.
The Spread of Misinformation
On November 7th, the video was initially posted with the text “Playing fetch with an Irrawaddy Dolphin as you do. How sweet is this?” Yep, the Beluga was referenced as being an Irrawaddy Dolphin by the person who re-uploaded the video from who knows where. She then edited the text to: “Playing fetch with a Beluga Whale as you do. How sweet is this?!” A further edit added the text: “The video is of a South African crew enjoying the company of a Beluga whale, while sailing near the North Pole.
This is an example of that reality and of the atrophying of fact-checking by media agencies. Therefore, there is the dire need for critical thinking. We live in a world of overwhelm and “fake news” being using as a defence rather than a truth. There are dizzying news cycles where so much is just a tweet and/or share away. If we do not realize this to be current reality, we are unwilling participants in the spread of misinformation.
The Plight of Hvaldimir
Hvaldimir the Beluga is like Luna (L98), the orphaned juvenile Southern Resident orca who also sought out humans for social interaction instead of his conspecifics.
Many conservationists have shunned the more recent viral video as a whimsical depiction of a grim situation-but its online fame has helped to create hope for Hvaldimir on the horizon . . .For the last three months, Advocates for Hvaldimir has been keeping track of the cetacean’s activity in order to make sure that he is faring well on his own. Regina Crosby, who is a co-founding member of the group, says they are now working with two other environmental groups to try to relocate Hvaldimir to a different oceanic region so he can potentially reintegrate with a pod of belugas for a better chance at survival . . .Crosby and Advocates for Hvaldimir have since begun collecting donations from the beluga’s internet fans in order to finance his relocation. They are sociable animals that live, hunt, and migrate together in pods, ranging from a few individuals to hundreds of whales.
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It's believed that the researchers in the video are on a South African vessel known as the Dinah Explorer. The man throwing the ball for the beluga is wearing a tracksuit with the logo of the Danah Explorer, a marine research vessel which is currently in Norwegian waters. A number of South African divers and researchers work with the Danah Divers, a research body linked to the Save Our Seas Foundation.
Update September 9, 2024 - Hvaldimir has been found dead off the coast of Norway. There were allegations that he was shot but this appears not to be the case.
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