The walrus Freya had to be killed – and now she gets her own statue

Last summer, a large walrus suddenly appeared in Smögenbryggan in Sotenäs. Quickly, hundreds of people gathered to watch her sunbathe among the vacationers.

– That’s very unusual. It was likely ocean currents that finally brought it to Smögen, Kenneth Lundin, lecturer in marine biology at the Museum of Natural History in Gothenburg, told the GP at the time.

Freya diving walruses swam along the coast

The female walrus was named Freya and gathered large crowds in all the places where she was seen swimming from Denmark along the Swedish coast to Norway. On their stops, she used to lie comfortably between the boats and sunbathe.

But in Norway, Freya’s story ended in mid-August last year. Then the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries euthanized them. This is after the Norwegian authorities have come out several times and warned that killing could become an issue if people don’t stop trying to get too close to walruses.

– The decision was made after a group assessment where we concluded that people’s lives and health may be in danger, Fisheries Director Frank Back-Jensen said on the Fisheries Directorate’s website at the time.

More than a quarter of a million NOK was collected

Now the beloved walrus receives a posthumous tribute. Many are outraged by the decision to euthanize Freya and a private fundraiser is started in her memory with the aim of erecting a statue of her. The initiator was Eric Holm and more than a quarter of a million NOK was raised in a short time. In the Norwegian newspaper NRK, he was interviewed about his feelings when the walrus was killed:

– The decision upset me and I thought it was a very easy solution. Then I thought “let’s make a statue to honor her and remind us how selfish we humans are” – partly because of the decision that was made, partly because we failed to heed warnings not to be too close to her.

On Saturday, it all became a reality when a lifelike stone sculpture was unveiled at Kongens Marina in Oslo. The statue was made by Norwegian artist Astri Tonoyan.

Also read: Here walruses swim in Stromstad Harbour

Also read: Oslo warns: then Freya the Walrus can be killed