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Freya, a 1,300-pound walrus who spent the summer lounging on boats and sunning himself on piers in the Oslofjord, delighting many locals, has been killed by Norwegian authorities who say she poses a threat to human security .
The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries said the decision to euthanize the walrus in the early hours local time on Sunday came after the public ignored repeated warnings to keep their distance from Freya.
“I have no doubts that this was the right call. Animal welfare is very important to us, but human life and safety must come first,” said the head of the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, Frank Bakke-Jensen, in a statement.
The young female walrus – nicknamed after the Norse goddess of beauty and love – has been causing a stir in the Norwegian capital since mid-July, apparently grabbing attention in what some media reports have dubbed her “hot girly summer”. Verdens Gang, a Norwegian tabloid, set up a 24-hour live camera to film their exploits.
The decision to put Freya to sleep sparked an immediate backlash on social media from many people denounce the decision as a national disgrace. Some are raising questions as to why authorities haven’t attempted to move the walrus to a safer area.
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Bakke-Jensen said the marine mammal’s move was carefully considered with the help of experts from the Norwegian Institute for Marine Research. Authorities concluded that the complexity of the operation meant “this was not a viable option,” he said.
He added that there were “several animal welfare concerns related to a potential move.” He didn’t address those concerns.
Freya had also been spotted off the coasts of several European countries in recent months, including the UK, Denmark and the Netherlands. (The young walrus once a lifting platform attached on a Dutch submarine. Appropriately, it belonged to the Walrus class of ships.)
Walruses typically live in the ice-covered waters of Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia, and Alaska. There are approximately 25,000 Atlantic walruses and 200,000 Pacific walruses in the wild. They usually rest on sea ice between feedings.
The marine mammals are protected in the United States. The US Circuit Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled last year that the Trump administration acted improperly in its 2017 decision to deny listing of the Pacific walrus as threatened or endangered.
As the climate warms, animal rights activists fear that melting sea ice will cause walruses to roost on land more often — removing them further from their traditional fish habitats.
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Walruses are also exposed to more shipping, tourism, industry and noise, according to the World Wildlife Fund. The animals are easily startled and may charge in an attempt to reach the safety of the water.
In a recent video from Oslo, a trio on a jet ski pulled up just meters from a boat on which Freya was taking a nap while several onlookers watched from the jetty. Officials on Sunday released a photo of dozens of people crowded on a pier just meters from the animal, their faces blurred to protect privacy.
“Observations on the ground over the past week have shown that the public has disregarded the current recommendation to keep a clear distance from the walrus,” Bakke-Jensen said. “The possibility of potential harm to humans was high and animal welfare was not upheld,” he added.
Rune Aae, a researcher at the University of Southeastern Norway who tracked the walrus through the Facebook group Freya the walrus – where is she now?, criticized Norway’s decision to euthanize Freya as “hasty” and “completely unnecessary”. .”
The school holidays for the summer are almost over and the curious onlookers who have gathered to watch the walrus in the waters of the Norwegian capital will soon disperse, Aae wrote on Sunday.