‘Hvaldimir’s’ Legacy Lives On

Featured image: Hvaldimir swimming amongst fishing boats, Norway. Credit: Ric O’Barry - Dolphin Project

​To capture an innocent, water bound creature mistakenly is one thing, but to intentionally take hold of these creatures for the benefit of military or nefarious societal practices, should be outlawed ~ put to the wind for all governments, and their officials.

Every day, we see dolphins and Beluga whales, like that of ‘Hvalimir’ who are confined to pens with no available, natural habitat – we see them shred themselves against the wall of pens that contain them. And if it is not this, then such creatures’ lives, lay in the hands of hunters.

Fortunately, thanks to the Russian Government, ‘Hvaldimir’ has been living a better life than many because of a law put in place, by ‘Valdimir Putin that prohibits the capture of such sentient, cetacean beings.

However, this law is not 100% foolproof, and it means military trainers and savvy entrepreneurs can apply for an exemption permit that gives them the right, to ignore the 2019 law that was passed to protect such sea creatures; so that the business of culling and capture, goes down as usual.

Yes, I know what you are thinking, which is the same question I put forward, “Why put in place a ghost law, in the first place?”

Because on the outside – governments appease the people; the rallying groups opposed to the capture of dolphins and whales – so as to present a clean image to the public and appear to be considerate, caring and with empathy for their fellow, planetary species.
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In doing so, the ghost law enables the maintenance and continued use of water themed fun parks, zoos and government testing of these gentle and unsuspecting species that have come to squelch their own curiosity of human beings.  And, in return, human beings get to flaunt the laws of common and natural decency, in order to satisfy a personal, capitalist agenda.

Helene O’Barry with Hvaldimir, the Beluga whale. Credit: Ric O’Barry - Dolphin Project

Today, to my dismay, I have come to learn that indeed this passed protection law is indeed flawed beyond belief, as we find dead our beloved Beluga whale, ‘Hvaldimir’ on Saturday, August 31st, 2024. 

According to the Veterinary Institute, who conducts independent autopsies of whales on behalf of the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, it was reported to NOAH and OneWhale that it was suspected the Beluga whale, ‘Hvaldimir’ had been illegally shot.

The Veterinary Institute’s investigations concluded that although ‘Hvaldimir was found dead, it appears a stick had been lodged in its mouth/throat, which prevented the Beluga from feeding, and it was more than likely, the whale’s cause of death was lack of sustenance and bacterial infection from the stick injury.  According to the Institutes findings, there was no evidence of ‘Hvaldimir’ having been shot, illegally by hunters.

However, ‘Hvaldimir’ has come to an untimely and painful death, and it is essential we remain vigilant in the protection of these helpless creatures; keep them from the likes of unsavoury human beings whose entire aim is to rid them off the planet, while in pursuit of capitalist rewards and downright cruel practices that appear to entertain small minds.

To our knowledge, ‘Hvalimir’ swam into one of the largest whaling areas on the planet and like so many of these beautiful, highly intelligent creatures they are offered little or no direct protection from the likes of the Norwegian and Russian Governments because they remain part of the cultural food chain, and the delicacy of eating whale flesh is still on the societal menu for so many individuals.

The work of the Dolphin Project – brought into being by Ric O’Barry, is dedicated to the fine welfare and protection of dolphins, globally.  As a charitable organisation, it educates the public on the exploitation and senseless slaughter of dolphins and whales. The Dolphin Project gives such creatures a voice - protection from cruel practices and offers education to schools and society, to permanently end the slaughter and captivity of dolphins and whales.

This is not an easy task and requires constant attention and maintenance of the Dolphin Sanctuary Project – established to rehabilitate and release captive dolphins back into the wild where possible.

Sea guardians such as Ric and his team of volunteers, need your help to continue to offer safe havens for these innocent, beautiful creatures.

And whether assistance occurs in the form of compassion, empathy and support for their invaluable work – be that financially or through educating others on why we need to protect such sea creatures - you can be part of the ‘fight for justice’.

• Helene O’Barry with Hvaldimir, the beluga whale. Credit: Ric O’Barry - Dolphin Project
• Featured image: Hvaldimir swimming amongst fishing boats, Norway. Credit: Ric O’Barry - Dolphin Project