A Russian spy whale that appears to have defected to Norway was caught on camera doing a good deed for a woman who came to visit the now famous sea mammal.
This week the beluga whale, which is believed by Norwegian authorities to have defected from a secret program run by the Russian navy, was seen diving into the depths of the Norwegian Sea to recover a cell phone that a woman dropped into the water. The video shows the beluga emerging from the deep holding the iPhone in its mouth before handing it off to its owner, Ina Manskika.
“Everyone was so surprised. We almost didn’t believe what we saw,” Mansika said. “I was super happy and thankful that I got my phone back.”
“The whale is so kind,” she added.
It can’t be confirmed for certain that the whale that saved the phone is the same spy whale that has made headlines recently, although the spy whale is known for acting unusually for the species and has gone out of its way to seek human contact. Belugas are typically very shy, but the spy whale frequently approaches people around the city it was discovered, hoping to have its head rubbed or chin scratched.
The whale was first spotted in April by fisherman who observed the sea mammal in the waters around the port city of Hammerfest. They discovered the whale was wearing a harness that read “Equipment St. Petersburg.”
The harness was handed over to the Norwegian Police Security Service, which found that it had rails on it that could be used to attach cameras. The Russian navy is thought to be carrying on a sea mammal special operations program, although the Russian Defense Ministry has denied such claims.
Norwegian authorities are still trying to determine what to do with the whale, which has stuck around Hammerfest since its discovery, relishing the attention of those around the water eager to get a glimpse of the defector.
Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries official Jorgen Ree Wiig said that one of the options being considered is transferring the beluga to a sanctuary in Iceland, although for now the whale appears to be content being part of the Hammerfest community.
