For the past few months, a mysterious visitor has been hanging out in the waters of Hammerfest, Norway — a beluga whale, thought by some to have been trained by the Russian military, from which he defected.
However, despite his alleged background in covert ops, the whale has proven to be incredibly outgoing.
Ask Jan-Olaf Johansen.
One day, he was walking near the Hammerfest waterfront when he saw the beluga engaging in some fascinating behavior.
A seagull on the surface of the water piqued the beluga's interest — and he seemed determined to befriend her.
Here's a video of the adorable moment:
The seagull, unfortunately, did not seem to want to reciprocate the beluga's friendly advances — seeming more annoyed at his persistence rather than threatened by his being so close. Eventually, however, it seems she'd had enough.
Since the whale first showed up, some folks had been concerned that he'd be unable to care for himself, presuming that he had been trained by humans. However, according to Johansen, who sees the whale from time to time, he appeared to be doing just fine — and is having a good time, too.
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