The Outlook Podcast Archive - My mission to save the 'Russian spy whale'

Download My mission to save the 'Russian spy whale'

Norwegian fisherman Joar Hesten was fishing for cod in the Arctic when he came across a white whale wearing a harness. He freed the mysterious beluga from the straps, and then saw the harness was labelled ‘Equipment St Petersburg’. Theories started swirling that this whale had escaped the Russian military, which has a history of training marine mammals. Now Joar is on a mission to relocate the whale, called Hvaldimir, to an area with other belugas in the hope that it can integrate into a pod and live in the wild.

The quest has cost Joar emotionally and financially. And, as Joar had previously worked as a whaler for a short time, he says his relationship with Hvaldimir has made him question the practice. In 1986 the International Whaling Commission announced a ban on commercial whaling, but Norway continues to hunt up to 500 minke whales a year - citing cultural reasons.

For now, Joar is looking for support so he can keep his promise to help save Hvaldimir.

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Presenter: Emily Webb
Producer: Saskia Edwards

Picture: Joar with Hvaldimir
Credit: Aleksander Nordahl, DN/D2

Published on Monday, 26th April 2021.

Available Podcasts from The Outlook Podcast Archive

Subscribe to The Outlook Podcast Archive

We are not the BBC, we only list available podcasts. To find out more about the programme including episodes available on BBC iPlayer, go to the The Outlook Podcast Archive webpage.