Outrage as celebrity walrus Freya was killed by the authorities

Freya the walrus was put down by the Norwegian authorities. The marine mammal became a global celebrity after it started showing up in populated parts of the European seashore. She was spending this summer in Norway’s Oslo fjord, sinking boats in search of a perfect sunbathing place. Authorities repeatedly warned people from coming too close to Freya. They justify their decision to kill the animal by the public safety risk. Was there really no other option?

A popular attraction

A 600kg teenage Freya, named after the Norse goddess of love and beauty, had been making headlines since mid-July when she was first spotted in the waters of the Norwegian capital. She quickly became a popular attraction amongst the locals and visitors.

The Guardian writes that the marine mammal had been previously sighted in the UK, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden.

Between long naps, Freya was filmed chasing a duck, attacking a swan and, more often than not, dozing on boats struggling to support her bulk, sometimes sinking them.

People wouldn’t stay away

Authorities tried to reason with the public and repeatedly asked people to stay away from the wild animal. Despite these appeals, curious onlookers continued to approach the walrus, sometimes with children in tow, to take photographs.

Norway's Directorate of Fisheries said Freya was put down early on Sunday ‘based on an overall assessment of the continued threat to human safety’, according to Sky News.

The spokesman for the organisation said:

Through on-site observations the past week, it was made clear that the public has disregarded the current recommendation to keep a clear distance from the walrus. Therefore, the directorate has concluded, that the possibility for potential harm to people was high, and animal welfare was not being maintained.

Was there really no other option?

The decision to kill Freya caused shock and disbelief all over the world.

But Frank Bakke-Jensen, Norway's Directorate of Fisheries' head, insisted there was no other choice. According to him, other options, including moving the animal to another place, were considered, but euthanasia was the only viable one.

He said:

We have great regard for animal welfare, but human life and safety must take precedence.

However, neither people nor animal welfare organisations accepted that reasoning. The 'heartbreaking' decision caused a public outcry on social media.

One Twitter user calls the decision to kill Freya 'indefensible'.

Another one labels it 'an astonishing and repugnant act'.

The Blue Planet Society said that ‘by any measure, killing Freya was absolutely the wrong decision by Norway’.

The organisation tweeted:

This isn't euthanasia, it's more like murder.

Rune Aae, a biology professor who had been studying Freya’s movements, condemned Norwegian authorities as being 'too hasty' with their decision in his Facebook post. According to him, the approaching autumn would dramatically reduce the crowds of onlookers and make the animal leave its temporary home voluntarily. He said that 'killing her was completely unnecessary'.

Walruses are a protected species. They normally live in herds in the Arctic. Climate change and the loss of natural habitat could be the reasons behind Freya’s holiday in the south.

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