A Nation’s Shame: Freya the Walrus Deserved a Better Ending
Advocacy Matters

A Nation’s Shame: Freya the Walrus Deserved a Better Ending

Because of human incompetence, an innocent animal had to suffer

A walrus nicknamed Freya, who had become a popular attraction in the Oslofjord, was put down last week to prioritize the safety of people. The decision to euthanize Freya brought swift public outrage, criticism from wildlife experts, and global concern for how Norway treats wildlife.

Freya, named after the Norse goddess of beauty and love, was a young female walrus who was seen in coastal towns across the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway since October 2021. She rose to fame after sunbathing on piers and napping on boats—sometimes sinking them under her weight. Authorities also reported that locals had been seen swimming with Freya, throwing objects at her, and even invading her personal space for photos. 

After selfie-seeking humans ignored warnings about getting too close to Freya from Norwegian authorities, the 600kg walrus was euthanized by the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries on the morning of 14 August 2022. 

Many people denounced the decision as a national shame. No matter the explanation, the decision to murder Freya—who was in her rightful environment—is hard to forgive. “The decision to euthanize [Freya] was based on an overall assessment of the continued threat to human safety”, said director general of fisheries Frank Bakke-Jensen. He said other options were also discussed, such as transporting her, but were ultimately not carried out due to concerns regarding her welfare.

Rune Aae, a biologist from the University of South-Eastern Norway and Fredrik Myhre of WWF in Norway believed the decision was much too hasty. According to Aae’s prior experience, Freya would have gotten out of Oslofjord sooner or later. He said, “This is Norway in a nutshell. Too often we kill the animals we don’t like or can’t cope with.”

Because of humans’ selfish desire to take selfies with wildlife, Freya had to die. Unfortunately, Freya is not the only animal whose life was taken away because of human ignorance. Walruses like Freya and other marine animals whose homes are shrinking because of habitat destruction and climate change will probably roam farther away from their homes.

A Statue in Memory of Freya

A fundraising campaign has been launched to build a statue in memory of Freya. Erik Holm, the organizer of the fundraiser, wrote in his appeal, “Freya’s death sends a strong negative signal effect that we in Norway, and especially Oslo, are not able to provide living space for wild animals.” He believes that by erecting a statue of the symbol Freya quickly became, we will always remind ourselves and future generations that we cannot always kill and remove nature when it is “in the way”.

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