In Oslo, a monument commemorates the walrus Freya, which was first used as an attraction in the Norwegian capital in 2022 and then euthanized amid protests. The monument shows the animal, which weighs almost 600 kilograms, curled up on the shore of the Oslofjord. A fundraising campaign had raised 270,000 Norwegian kroner (22,800 euros) for the statue. The donors wanted to protest against the euthanasia of the animal.
Sculptor Astri Tonoian said at a ceremony on Saturday the case was important. It’s about how people deal with nature, Tonoian said, according to broadcaster NRK. The memorial is a reminder of how decisions are made and how well they are justified.
Freya was put to sleep in mid-August. The authorities justified this by saying that too many people had repeatedly approached the animal. Therefore, neither the safety of the people nor the well-being of the walrus could have been assured.
The walrus lady had previously caused a stir in the Oslofjord for weeks and attracted masses of onlookers. The newspaper “Verdens Gang” had even set up a live stream online. Between long sleep periods – a walrus sleeps up to 20 hours a day – Freya was filmed chasing a duck and attacking a swan, among other things. Most of the time, however, she dozed on a rock – or on boats, some of which capsized under her weight.
Despite repeated warnings from the authorities, onlookers jumped into the water to see the animal or got very close to it with children on the bank to take photos. Finally, the Fisheries Directorate assessed the safety risk as too great, and Freya was put down on August 14th.
