A white whale has been swimming far upstream in the Drammens River west of Oslo, and attracting lots of attention. The whale, estimated to be around three-meters long, is far from its usual habitat around Svalbard and Greenland.
It’s not the first time a whale has been spotted in the river, which is wide and runs down from the mountains to the city of Drammen. From there, it empties into the Drammensfjord, then the Oslofjord and eventually open sea. This whale was first spotted farther downstream in the river on Wednesday, and has been splashing in the waters near the town of Hokksund since.
Whale researcher Audun Rikardsen at the University of Tromsø told state broadcaster NRK that white whales sometimes seek out fresh water when they want to shed some skin. He urged spectators and boaters to stay away from the whale “and show respect” for the large marine mammal.
The white whale sighting comes just days after four killer whales were spotted in the Oslo Fjord near Drøbak. “We suddenly saw some very large fins,” Tom Richard Rasmussen, who was sailing up the fjord with friends on Monday, told NRK. They also kept their distance.
To see NRK’s photos and videos of the whale action, click here (external link, in Norwegian).
