– We have now received a report on preliminary investigations from the Veterinary Institute, and there are no findings from the autopsy to indicate that Hvaldimir has been shot, says Amund Preede Revheim. He heads the North Sea and environment section at the joint intelligence and investigation unit in the Sør-West police district. 31. August the celebrity whale Hvaldimir was found dead outside Tananger in Rogaland. A couple of days later, the Veterinary Institute in Sandnes began an autopsy of the whale, on behalf of the Directorate of Fisheries. At the same time, contact was established with the police and it was agreed that the police should be notified if the autopsy showed suspicious findings. The celebrity whale Hvaldimir was lifted out of the water after he was found dead at Tananger. Photo: Ole Elias Huse Visible injuries to the body Hvaldimir’s death has led to speculation, and last week it became clear that the animal protection organization Noah and OneWhale reported the case to the police. They believed that the probability that the whale was shot is high. But according to the police, the injuries are superficial. Hvaldimir was transported to shore after it was found dead at sea. Photo: Odd Rune Kyllingstad / news – Among other things, an X-ray was taken of the front part of the more than four-metre-long whale, where the wounds are. Here, nothing has been found to indicate that these injuries stem from gunshots. No projectile has been found either, says Preede Revheim in a press release. The preliminary autopsy report does not conclude what caused these injuries, according to the police. Stick in the mouth A stick 35 centimeters long and approximately 3 centimeters wide was found stuck inside Hvaldimir’s mouth. Amund Preede Revheim, head of the North Sea and environment section at the joint intelligence and investigation unit in the Sør-West police district. Photo: Sindre Kirkaas Normann / news – The autopsy showed that his stomach was empty. In addition, most organs had broken down. There is nothing in the investigations that have been carried out to establish that it is human activity that has directly led to Hvaldimir’s death, adds Preede Revheim. Based on this, the police will not be actively investigating the case. The Veterinary Institute has announced that the final autopsy report will be available within two weeks. – When the final autopsy report is available, everything indicates that the case will be dropped, says Revheim to news. Hvaldimir was a very contact-seeking whale, which visited several places in Norway in recent years. Photo: Inge Wegge Gives more questions than answers Leader in Noah, Siri Martinsen, believes the police should have waited longer before assessing that no offense has occurred. Leader in Noah, Siri Martinsen. Photo: Ingeborg Undheim – We see that the police do not want to investigate, but believe that the press release actually gives more questions than answers, she says and continues: – This was a whale that survived on a fairly empty stomach for a long time. When he was in the Oslofjord, he was much thinner than he was now. He survived there, she says. Martinsen points out that the whale’s holes are very round. They look so mechanically constructed that it is hard to believe that it was birds that injured the whale, she says. – We think that there must be a good explanation for these injuries, which are of a very mechanical and symmetrical nature. And then we think that it is very unusual that this should be a so-called natural death for a young animal in good condition. The holes are not unusual Professor of arctic and marine biology at UiT, Audun Rikardsen, explains that the type of holes found on Hvaldimir are not unusual in dead whales. They can be caused by several things. – Birds are quick to peck holes in whales, and they do the pecking in areas where the skin is weak. It may be due to a type of parasite that burrows into the whale’s skin, he explains. Whale researcher Audun Rikardsen. Photo: Torkil Stoltz / news When a whale dies, gas occurs in the stomach. As part of the putrefaction, the whale increases in volume. As it is raised, the pressure increases. Then these small holes will open, burst and begin to bleed. Rikardsen believes this case has shown how important it is not to speculate too much. – He probably played with that stick and got it in his throat, he says. – Heavy that Hvaldimir is gone Sebastian Strand from Marine Mind has long been a campaigner for the whale not to be forcibly relocated. He has previously stated that Hvaldimir was fine where he was. He points out to news that the whale could also have died in such a way, if he had been moved. Marine biologist Sebastian Strand. Photo: Odd Rune Kyllingstad / news – If he has stuck a stick in his mouth that has prevented him from taking food, then it is something that could also happen regardless of where he is, he says. Strand will now continue to mourn the death. – It is still heavy that Hvaldimir is gone, whatever the reason. But the fact that he did not die from a direct human action is a partial consolation, he says. Published 09/09/2024, at 13.30 Updated 09/09/2024, at 16.41
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The police do not suspect that Hvaldimir has been shot – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
