“This is the tale of a beluga whale named Hvaldimir and a fisherman named Joar Hesten. When Joar dove into the freezing Arctic waters and released Hvaldimir from a harness, their lives were forever altered.”
When this magical white creature appeared in the Arctic waters near Norway, close to Russia, American activists took notice. Hollywood got interested, and money from Saudi Arabia was spent. The friendly beluga whale became a star on Instagram.
After the excitement died down, Joar returned home to the south, and Hvaldimir did the same. In the summer of 2020, he showed up in the fjord near Joar’s home. During that summer and fall, Joar visited the whale, taking care of him and talking with annoyed fish farmers about how to best protect him.
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