The case in summary Hvaldimir, the celebrity whale that was discovered in Finnmark in 2019, is now in a freezer at the Nature Museum in Kristiansand. The whale will be restored and made ready for an exhibition in the spring where his story will be told. Hvaldimir was found dead outside Risavika in Sola in August, and many have wanted to get a piece of him. The whale’s parts will lie in hot water for a month to make the meat rot away, before they are prepared and bleached for exhibition. Researcher Rasmus Worsøe Havmøller believes Hvaldimir’s history must be preserved, as it can help us understand how animals that do not belong along Norwegian coasts can move around. There are also plans to carry out genetic tests on the whale to find out where he originally came from. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – Right now, Hvaldimir is in the freezer here at the nature museum in Kristiansand. This is what Rasmus Worsøe Havmøller, who is a researcher at the Nature Museum and Botanical Garden at the University of Agder, tells us. Well wrapped in several layers of protection. Divided into several boxes. In minus 20 degrees. It can both look and sound macabre that what was once Norway’s entire celebrity whale has ended its days here, piecemeal and divided, in a freezer in Kristiansand. But the idea is that Hvaldimir will live forever. – Now it will be restored and made ready for an exhibition in the spring where his story will be told, says Havmøller. And that is a whale story quite out of the ordinary. Since Hvaldimir appeared off Finnmark in 2019, the beluga managed to charm the entire Norwegian coast. Celebrity whale The celebrity whale was first discovered by fishermen off Ingøy in Finnmark in 2019. He was wearing a tight harness and was accused, among other things, of being a Russian spy, while others thought he was a therapy whale. Since his discovery, he has been diligently followed by the Norwegian people on his journey south through the pretty country, while he swam into people’s hearts. Hvaldimir even received attention in one of America’s most popular talk shows. But on the last day in August, all of Norway’s belugas were found dead and floating belly up, outside Risavika in Sola. Since then, many have wanted to get a piece of Hvaldimir. It is now clear that Sørlandet will be the terminus. The Resurrection But how will the whale rise again from the dead? A good deal of work remains for the researchers at the museum in Kristiansand. Now the work begins to make Hvaldimir presentable to museum visitors. Photo: Siv Kristin Sællmann / news – It has been roughly filleted, so it is clear that there is still a lot of meat on it. The parts will lie in hot water for perhaps a month, so all the meat rots away. And after that they are groomed and bleached. So they will be nice and white and ready for exhibition, assures Worsøe Havmøller. The organization OneWhale feared that Hvalidimir would end up in the trash, and expressed in that connection that Hvaldimir should rather be cremated and that the ashes should be scattered in the sea. They are happy that Hvaldimir ends up in a museum. – We are very positive about the exhibition, and are in dialogue about collaboration with both film and information about Hvaldimir and his life in Norway, says Inge Wegge to news. Regina Crosby in One Whale has followed Hvaldimir closely. She takes a picture of him to check the whale’s dental health. Photo: Inge Wegge Scientific value Researcher Rasmus Worsøe Havmøller understands the wish, but believes the history of Hvaldimir must be preserved. – I think it’s a good idea, but then the knowledge is lost. In many ways, it is a rather unique story. We have an animal that has become familiar with humans, and on which we have a lot of history. And all the observations of the popular whale can, according to the researcher, help us understand how animals that do not belong along Norwegian coasts can move around. – At the same time, it’s a bit of fun if we can do some genetics on him and find out where he came from. Completely original, says Worsøe Havmøller. Hvaldimir swam into the hearts of Norwegians. Now the museum in Sørlandet wants to ensure that the story about him lives on. Photo: Inge Wegge Published 03.10.2024, at 17.16 Updated 03.10.2024, at 18.25
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Hvaldimir gets eternal life in a museum – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
