Walrus Freya killed By Norway Gets Oslo Sculpture
A statue of a walrus that was formerly a well-liked attraction but was later killed due to concerns for public safety has been presented in Oslo, the capital of Norway.
Freya is shown in the life-size bronze sculpture lying on her side on the shore.
“This is how people treat other people as well as the natural world. This is how Freya was handled by us. Astri Tonoian, the statue’s creator, said, “I will therefore call the statue For Our Sins.”
A previous internet effort raised $25,000 (£19,900) for the statue’s construction.
Erik Holm, the campaign’s organizer, told the AFP news agency, “I started this because I’m outraged about the way the [Norwegian] Fisheries Directorate and the state handled this matter.
Last August, Freya, who weighed about 600 kg (1,300 lb), was put to death, drawing criticism from all over the Nordic region.
The animal gained notoriety by climbing onto boats to sunbathe and occasionally sinking them.
Later, the local authorities claimed that people had disregarded instructions not to approach the animal too closely, endangering both her and themselves.
Local media at the time said that authorities once closed off a swimming area when a walrus chased a woman into the sea.
A picture of a sizable crowd of people, including youngsters, standing close to the animal was also released by Norway’s fisheries ministry.
Frank Bakke-Jensen, the director general of fisheries, stated that the decision to euthanize the animal was made “on an overall assessment of the continued threat to human safety.”
The public has ignored the existing advice to keep a clear distance from the walrus, according to on-site observations during the past week. Therefore, the directorate came to the conclusion that there was a high likelihood of potential harm to people and that animal welfare was not being upheld, according to Mr. Bakke-Jensen.
He claimed that the procedure to put her to sleep had been done “in a humane manner” and that the body had been taken for further investigation by veterinarians.
Taking her name from the Norse goddess of beauty and love, Freya was first observed in Oslo in the middle of July.
Walruses are a protected species that typically inhabit the Arctic region further north.
Although they rarely attack people, there have been a few isolated instances.
In 2016, a walrus murdered a visitor and a zookeeper at a wildlife park in China. According to reports, the tourist was snapping selfies with the animal when he was seized and dragged underwater. The animal keeper attempted to save the visitor but was also dragged underneath.