(CNN) – A beluga whale discovered with a harness around her neck in Norwegian waters five years ago – and found died August 31– had a stick stuck in his mouth and his death was not related to human activity, police said Monday.
Hvaldimir’s body – a portmanteau of the Norwegian word for whale and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin – was spotted a week ago floating in the sea by a father and son fishing in southern Norway.
The animal became the subject of media attention when it was discovered off the Arctic coast of Norway in 2019 wearing a harness with what appeared to be a mount for a small camera.
Norway and Russia share a maritime border in the Arctic, which led to jokes that the whale was a Russian spy.
Norwegian police opened an investigation into the animal’s death after two animal rights groups will file a complaint.
An autopsy showed that a stick 35 centimeters long (14 inches) and 3 centimeters wide (1.2 inches) was stuck in the whale’s mouth, Southwestern District Police said in a statement.
“The autopsy revealed that the stomach was empty and that most of the organs were decomposed,” the Police said.
“There is nothing in the investigations that have been carried out that allows us to establish that it was human activity that directly led to Hvaldimir’s death.”
As a result, the police would not investigate further, they added.
Animal rights groups had claimed the whale had been shot dead. On Monday, police said Hvaldimir had suffered some injuries, but that they were “completely superficial,” adding that “there was no evidence to suggest that Hvaldimir had been shot.”
A full report will be ready in two weeks, he said.
