From becoming famous overnight to being euthanized, what did Freya the walrus experience in her life?

Swimming in the sea, diving to eat seafood, lying in a small boat to bask in the sun and take a nap... Freya the walrus originally lived a summer life that many people envied.

But the holiday came to an abrupt end in an unexpected way. On August 14, Freya was euthanized by the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries .

Freya, a young female walrus, has become the star animal of the summer in a fjord south of Oslo, Norway, attracting crowds of people.

Unfortunately, there are always many people who approach walruses at close range without listening to advice. Therefore, the local fishery department believes that walruses may threaten people's safety and finally euthanized the walrus Freya.

Freya the Walrus｜Rune Aae

From becoming famous overnight to being euthanized

On June 11, a walrus came to a coastal village in southern Norway and alerted the local fire department because it kept lying on someone's boat and refused to leave . Although people tried hard to drive it into the water, the walrus soon swam back and climbed back onto the boat clumsily. The firefighter on duty at the time said: "The walrus seemed to be sleeping on the boat, so we were a little confused and didn't know what to do."

Freya in Norway on June 11 | Kragerø Brannvesen/NTB

"This is Freya. She has been in this area for a long time," confirmed biologist Rune Aae, who has been tracking the walrus Freya's movements for half a year.

In the past two years, Freya has lived in many European countries, including the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands . In March this year, she set out from Denmark and arrived in Sweden. In recent months, she has also been active in the waters near Norway. Last month, Freya the walrus appeared in Oslo, causing an even bigger sensation. She often made headlines in local news, and some media even broadcast her life live all day.

Freya the Walrus's Activity Track | Rune Aae

Walruses usually live in waters covered with ice and snow. Their favorite food is clams, but they also eat snails, shrimps, crabs, octopus, squid, and fish. After they have finished hunting, they will climb onto the ice floes to rest and digest their food, and then drift with the ice floes to the next place to hunt . The reason why Freya likes to climb onto the boat may be that she mistook human ships for ice floes. However, the walrus is too heavy, and several ships have been sunk by it because they could not bear the weight. It is estimated that Freya the walrus weighs nearly 600 kilograms .

Some boat owners said they had contacted their insurance company, but the insurance company might not compensate for the damage caused by the walrus. The boat owners were very worried, but netizens loved to watch the walruses climbing the boat and sunbathing leisurely, and the related videos and photos always received a lot of views and likes.

Although the local fishery department has repeatedly warned people not to approach or disturb the walruses , judging from the videos and photos on the Internet, the area near the boat where the walrus Freya is located is often full of spectators, and some people even take jet skis to try to get a close look at the walrus.

Walruses can sleep for 20 hours a day. Although they look very comfortable, walruses are very sensitive to the approach of people and ships and are easily frightened . Walruses generally do not attack humans, but if they feel threatened, that is another matter. Moreover, the noisy environment may have affected their rest and made them nervous.

On July 18, someone approached Freya as she climbed aboard the ship. | Tor Erik Schrøder, AP

"Through on-site observations over the past week, it is clear that the public is not following the advice to keep a safe distance from the walrus ." The veterinarian also believes that the large amount of human attention has brought obvious pressure to the walrus. Therefore, the local fisheries department believes that the walrus Freya "has a high possibility of harming humans" and that its animal welfare cannot be guaranteed under such circumstances.

Some people suggested relocating the walruses , but the fisheries department and experts from the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research rejected this option after discussions, arguing that the entire operation would be too complicated to be feasible and that some animal welfare issues might arise during the relocation process.

The decision to euthanize the walrus has sparked great controversy. But the person in charge said: "I firmly believe that this is the right decision. We attach great importance to animal welfare, but human life and safety must take priority."

August 10, Crowds get too close to Freya | Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries

A controversial move

“That’s totally unnecessary!”

Biologist Rune Oe, who had been keeping an eye on the walrus Freya, was very sad when he heard the news and thought the decision to kill the walrus Freya was too hasty.

"Where is Freya?" was originally the theme of this summer in Norway. Rune had previously set up an online group to track the movements of Freya the walrus, where the public and netizens can post the dynamics of Freya's location in real time . In addition, the local fisheries department also has ships tracking the walruses, which can inform the public of the walrus's location at any time. Everyone can know where Freya is and can avoid it if they want.

Oslofjord will have heavy rain in two days, people will go out less, summer vacation is coming to an end, the number of people watching walruses on the shore will decrease significantly. In addition, Freya the walrus is likely to leave on her own . "Freya will leave Oslofjord sooner or later, just like in the past, so in my opinion, euthanasia is completely unnecessary ." Rune wrote.

In 2021, Freya also took a ride on a Dutch submarine | @kon_marine/twitter

Under the Twitter hashtag #walrusFreya, many people agreed with Rune's opinion.

Someone else sighed: "We were all so happy to see the walrus! What a tragic ending. Ignorance always triumphs over nature."

Some people questioned: "Because of the welfare of the walrus, it cannot be relocated, so the walrus is killed? I wonder if it will appreciate their concern?"

Someone was angry: "The walrus is in its natural environment, what you should do is to drive away those who pester it."

"Apparently the public couldn't keep their distance and the walrus had to be killed. I hope the public are ashamed of themselves."

"Everyone who tries to get close to Freya, everyone who desensitizes her to human proximity, and everyone who tries to take a selfie near her should be condemned! Stay away from wild animals!"

Nature documentary filmmaker David Attenborough was quoted as saying: " I think sometimes we should step back and remember that we humans have no more right to be here than any other animal. "

Others said, "It's like the Harambe incident all over again!" Harambe was a rare western lowland gorilla that originally lived in the Cincinnati Zoo in the United States. On May 28, 2016, a 3-year-old boy climbed over the fence and entered the exhibition area where Harambe was. In order to protect the boy, the zoo had to shoot Harambe to death. Afterwards, many people blamed the boy's parents, believing that their negligence led to Harambe's death.

Harambe approached the boy and the zoo assessed the child was in danger. | The dodo/youtube

Wild animals have to die because of human negligence. This is true for Harambe and Freya.

"I guess it wants to return to its companions."

Over the past three hundred years, walruses have been hunted by humans for their ivory, blubber and meat, causing their numbers to plummet.

By 1952, walruses were nearly extinct in Svalbard, Norway's northernmost Arctic archipelago, more than 1,900 kilometers from Oslo. The Norwegian government then banned commercial walrus hunting. In the early 1980s, researchers observed about 100 walruses on the island . Thanks to various conservation measures, the walrus population has slowly recovered.

However, walruses are still considered vulnerable species . A 2018 survey found that there were about 5,500 walruses living in Svalbard. According to the World Wildlife Fund, there are about 225,000 walruses in the wild worldwide.

Although the number of walruses has recovered somewhat, their survival is still threatened. With climate change, the floating ice they use to rest and raise their pups is decreasing, with summer sea ice decreasing by 13% every decade . Many walruses are forced to live on land, and due to overcrowding, they are trampled or fall off cliffs.

It is speculated that the walrus Freya is from Svalbard. Walruses usually live in groups, usually moving in groups, gathering together on ice floes or on land to rest, and like to cuddle with each other when relaxing . It is rare for a walrus like Freya to leave her homeland and live alone.

Walruses generally live in groups｜en.visitsvalbard.com

Away from their natural habitats, walruses' hunting and resting habits will change. In addition, they will be more frequently exposed to noisy human activities such as shipping, fishing, tourism, and industry, making them more easily frightened.

"I guess it wants to return to its companions," Rune said in a previous interview.

Freya the walrus was resting on what she thought was a safe "ice floe" when local authorities in the Oslo Fjord decided to euthanize her.

It could never return to its hometown with sea ice, clams and companions.

Freya once rested on the boat | Fiskeridirektoratet

References

[1]Moses, C. (2022). Norway Kills Freya, a 1,300-Pound Walrus Who Delighted Onlookers. NY Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/14/world/europe/freya-walrus-dead.html

[2]NPR. (2022). A walrus nicknamed Freya is causing chaos during her naps in northern Europe. NPR.

[3](6) Facebook. (2022, August 15). Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/638487454/posts/pfbid05ncKAAaH1EWfTdabTCA44KoZpUaM45eF421csJ5wTKx526Yj44XoaZYfdTeSJ6aJl/?d=n

[4]Pannett, R. (2022). Freya the walrus, who charmed crowds in Norway, is killed by authorities. Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/08/14/freya-walrus-norway-euthanized

[5]Shoowong, M., Mhaidli, S., & Radnofsky, C. (2022). Meet Freya the walrus, Norway's summer celebrity. NBC News. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/freya-the-walrus-norway-sinking-boats-rcna40174

[6]Beredskapen er klar. (2022, August 15). Retrieved from https://www.fiskeridir.no/Yrkesfiske/Nyheter/2022/beredskapen-pa-plass

[7]Freya the walrus gains fans while crushing one seafaring vessel at a time. (2022, August 02). PBS NewsHour. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/freya-the-walrus-gains-fans-while-crushing-one-seafaring-vessels-at-a-time

[8]Staff. (2022). PHOTO: Walrus decides to sleep in a boat in Kragerø: "We are a bit confused about what to do" - Norway Today. Norway Today. Retrieved from https://norwaytoday.info/everyday/photo-walrus-decides-to-sleep-in-a-boat-in-kragero-we-are-a-bit-confused-about-what-to-do

[9]View of Walruses recovering after 60+ years of protection in Svalbard, Norway | Polar Research. (2022, August 15). Retrieved from https://polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/3202/html

[10] Amos, J. (2021). Walrus counting from space: How many tusked beasts do you see? BBC News. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58901410

[11]Walrus in Oslo-fjord is euthanized. (2022, August 16). Retrieved from https://www.fiskeridir.no/Yrkesfiske/Nyheter/2022/walrus-in-oslo-fjord-is-euthanized

Author: Cloud

Editors: You Shiyou, Odette, Xiao Towel

Cover image source: Kragerø Brannvesen/NTB

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