Why Did Walrus Freya Have to Die?
The world mourns the loss of a beloved animal
Since autumn 2021, the walrus lady named Freya, recognizable by her pink dot on her nose, has been seen sunning herself on the coasts of the Baltic Sea and the Atlantic, who presumably due to climate change got further south from the North Atlantic.
For the past few weeks, Freya has been bustling around Oslo, Norway, and quickly becoming a popular tourist attraction, largely because she clumsily tried to get on nearby boats, but often failed.
“Authorities and researchers warned against approaching the wild animal; the stress can harm the animal. A floating platform was built for the walrus, but it failed to keep Freya away from the boats. Freya preferred low-stern boats without a large outboard engine. Owners of such boats were advised to moor them backwards; this would have made it more difficult for the walrus to get into the boat.”
The following headline came up on Sunday 14 August:
“Because onlookers with children, swimmers and selfie snappers kept getting too close to the animal, the fisheries authorities took action for “safety reasons” and put Freya to sleep on Sunday.”
