Did Freya need to die? Why euthanizing its celebrity walrus was ‘Norway in a nutshell’

The decision to euthanize Freya the walrus has provoked public outrage and renewed longstanding concerns about how Norway treats its wildlife and natural resources.

The decision to euthanize Freya, Norway’s beloved celebrity walrus, brought an abrupt end to her summer of stardom.

Now her death has provoked public outrage and renewed long-standing concerns about how the Scandinavian country treats its wildlife and natural resources.

The 1,300-pound marine mammal — who shares her name with the Norse goddess of fertility and love — had enthralled the public for months as she traveled the nation’s coastline, crushing small boats with her hefty frame. But Freya was suddenly put down Sunday over concerns for her welfare and the risk to the crowds that flocked to see her in Oslo's fjord region, the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries said in a statement on its website.

The government body said it feared the animal could injure or kill one of the many people who had been gathering just feet away to take photos, throw objects and even swim in the water near Freya as she bathed in the sun or slept.

“I am firm that this was the right call. We have great regard for animal welfare, but human life and safety must take precedence,” Frank Bakke-Jensen, the director general of fisheries, said Sunday.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/freya-walrus-euthanized-norway-outrage-rcna43073

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