Freya the walrus was euthanized on Sunday morning after crowds failed to obey the government’s safety warnings. Freya’s popularity first sparked amongst the public after she was seen crushing boats and other vessels across the European ports in an attempt to sunbathe.
The 1,300-pound walrus was seen lounging about the port at the Oslo Fjord, a far distance from her home in the Norwegian archipelago Svalbard, which is about 2,100 kilometers (1,245 miles) away. While it’s not uncommon for walruses to migrate to parts of Canada, Greenland, Russia and Norway in order to munch on mollusks, clams, shrimp, snails and other invertebrates in shallow water, walruses usually keep their distance from locals and other onlookers.
Rune Aae, a biology professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway, who managed a Google map filled with Freya sightings, added that it was uncommon for walruses to be unafraid of people.
"It's not common at all," said Aae of Freya’s social demeanor. "Normally, walruses will show up on some islands, but they will leave quite soon, because they're afraid of people."
"Actually, I think she likes people. So that's why she's not leaving,” he added.
The Norwegian government feared Freya’s social demeanor would have been a threat to human safety. In addition, Norway’s Directorate of Fisheries warned onlookers to keep a safe distance from the mammal. Despite the Directorate’s warnings, individuals interested in the walrus continued to encroach upon Freya.
"The public has disregarded the current recommendation to keep a clear distance to the walrus," said Nadia Jdaini, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, which found the public swimming with her, throwing objects at her, and getting too close to her to take photos.
"The decision to euthanize the walrus was made based on an overall assessment of the continued threat to human safety," said Frank Bakke-Jensen, the director general at the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries.
"We have sympathies for the fact that the decision can cause reactions with the public, but I am firm that this was the right call," Bakke-Jensen added. "We have great regard for animal welfare, but human life and safety must take precedence."
Members of the public took to Twitter to voice their outrage at the decision to euthanize Freya.
Twitter user @AmyMarieMaasch shared a map of Freya’s travels on Twitter, after expressing her outrage at the Norwegian government for their decision to euthanize Freya.
Freya the Walrus' travels
“Now they’ve killed Freya, the gentle walrus who meant no harm to anyone. It's indefensible. Wild animals increasingly have no safe place in this world. Every single person who ignored the warnings should be deeply ashamed. She had her whole life to live,” wrote Twitter user @ITomMontgomery.
Twitter user @Aislinglouyt condemned individuals who ignored warnings as “selfish idiots.”
“Memories of #FreyaTheWalrus - a very special creature that spent a month here in Shetland last winter. MURDERED today by the @fiskeridir Directorate of Fisheries in #Norway ‘based on an overall assessment of the continued threat to human safety.’ Indefensible,” wrote Twitter user @HughHarrop, who shared a video of the seemingly happy walrus lounging when she was still alive.
After Freya was euthanized Aae condemned the decision in a Facebook post as “too hasty.”
“What I have been warning against for months has happened: Freya was killed, in my opinion, too hasty a conclusion,” wrote Aae. Adding that the Directorate, in his opinion, could have monitored Freya’s location while keeping the public updated so interactions between the walrus and onlookers could have been minimized.
“Freya had sooner or later gotten out of the Oslo Fjord, which all previous experience has shown, so killing her was, in my view, completely unnecessary,” Aae wrote, while mentioning that the school holidays in the area were about to end, thus cutting down attention to Freya.
“Norway is the country that killed Freya after being around for over two years around the entire North Sea. What a shame! This is just sad!”