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“Russian spy” beluga whale that was found dead “had multiple bullet wounds,” animal rights group says
Animal rights groups on Wednesday said gunfire killed a beluga whale that rose to fame in Norway after its unusual harness sparked suspicions the creature was trained by Russia as a spy.
The organizations NOAH and One Whale said they had filed a complaint with Norwegian police asking them to open a “criminal investigation.”
Nicknamed “Hvaldimir” in a pun on the Norwegian word for whale, hval, and its purported ties to Moscow, the white beluga first appeared off the coast in Norway’s far-northern Finnmark region in 2019.
He was found dead on Saturday in a bay Norway’s southwestern coast.
His body was transported on Monday to a local branch of the Norwegian Veterinary Institute for autopsy.
The report is expected “within three weeks,” a spokeswoman for the institute said.
“He had multiple bullet wounds around his body,” the head of One Whale, Regina Crosby Haug who said she viewed Hvaldimir’s body on Monday, told AFP.
OneWhale.org / AP
One Whale was founded to track the beluga, which had become a celebrity in Norway.
“The injuries on the whale are alarming and of a nature that cannot rule out a criminal act — it is shocking,” NOAH director Siri Martinsen said in a statement.
“Given the suspicion of a criminal act, it is crucial that the police are involved quickly,” she said.
A third organization which also tracked the whale’s movements, Marine Mind, said it found Hvaldimir’s dead body floating in the water on Saturday around 2:30 pm (1230 GMT).
“There was nothing to immediately reveal the cause of death,” director Sebastian Strand told AFP. “We saw markings but it’s too early to say what they were.”
He said some of the markings were probably caused by marine birds, but said there was no explanation for others at this stage.
With an estimated age of 15 to 20, Hvaldimir was relatively young for a beluga whale, which can live to between 40 and 60 years of age.
When he was found in 2019, Norwegian marine biologists removed a man-made harness with a mount suited for an action camera and the words “Equipment St. Petersburg” printed in English on the plastic clasps.
Norwegian officials said Hvaldimir may have escaped an enclosure and may have been trained by the Russian navy as he appeared to be accustomed to humans.
The Russian military has a history of trying to weaponize sea mammals, CBS News previously reported. Last year, British military spies said Russia appeared to be training combat dolphins to counter Ukrainian forces.
Moscow has never issued any official reaction to speculation that he could be a “Russian spy.”
“We are heartbroken,” One Whale said in a statement after Hvaldimir was found dead. “We are angry, too, as we have had to fight so hard, for so long to help him out of danger. And he was finally so close to having a better life.”
Linn Saether / AP
Tupperware and some of its subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the once-iconic food container maker said in a statement late Tuesday.
The company has suffered from dwindling sales following a surprise surge during the COVID-19 pandemic, when legions of people stuck at home tried their hands at cooking, which increased demand for Tupperware’s colorful plastic containers with flexible airtight seals.
A post-pandemic rise in costs of raw materials and shipping, along with higher wages, also hurt Tupperware’s bottom line.
Last year, it warned of “substantial doubt” about its ability to keep operating in light of its poor financial position.
“Over the last several years, the Company’s financial position has been severely impacted by the challenging macroeconomic environment,” president and CEO Laurie Ann Goldman said in a statement announcing the bankruptcy filing.
“As a result, we explored numerous strategic options and determined this is the best path forward,” Goldman said.
The company said it would seek court approval for a sale process for the business to protect its brand and “further advance Tupperware’s transformation into a digital-first, technology-led company.”
The Orlando, Florida-based firm said it would also seek approval to continue operating during the bankruptcy proceedings and would continue to pay its employees and suppliers.
“We plan to continue serving our valued customers with the high-quality products they love and trust throughout this process,” Goldman said.
The firm’s shares were trading at $0.5099 Monday, well down from $2.55 in December last year.
Tupperware said it had implemented a strategic plan to modernize its operations and drive efficiencies to ignite growth following the appointment of a new management team last year.
“The Company has made significant progress and intends to continue this important transformation work.”
In its filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, Tupperware listed assets of between $500 million and $1 billion and liabilities of between $1 billion and $10 billion.
The filing also said it had between 50,000 and 100,000 creditors.
Tupperware lost popularity with consumers in recent years and an initiative to gain distribution through big-box chain Target failed to reverse its fortunes.
The company’s roots date to 1946, when chemist Earl Tupper “had a spark of inspiration while creating molds at a plastics factory shortly after the Great Depression,” according to Tupperware’s website.
“If he could design an airtight seal for plastic storage containers, like those on a paint can, he could help war-weary families save money on costly food waste.”
Over time, Tupper’s containers became popular that many people referred to any plastic food container as Tupperware. And people even threw “Tupperware parties” in their homes to sell the containers to friends and neighbors.
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