Neither the Directorate of Fisheries nor researchers they have been in contact with recommend killing. “It is therefore currently not relevant, and other alternatives are being considered,” the directorate writes in a press release. At the same time, the much-discussed walrus can be an obstacle to ordinary traffic when it spreads out on floating jetties and small boats. Right now she is in Frognerkilen in Oslo. Therefore, the Directorate of Fisheries is now considering alternatives that can lead to less contact between the walrus and humans. – We are in dialogue with Oslo Municipality about possible measures now. This is a free and wild animal, so it moves exactly where it wants. We must find out how we can prevent people from getting too close, Nadia Jdaini, communications adviser at the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, answers news. – It will involve advice to boat owners to possibly move their boats. Or it may be relevant to lay out obstacles so that the walrus can not lie down on piers. – Can it be relevant to stun the walrus to transport it away from the pier? – No, at the moment there is nothing we are discussing. DESTRUCTION: The insurance company If has received several reports of damage after the walrus Freya has been lying around on boats in the Oslo Fjord. Photo: Joshua V. Jaunsen / tipper Still fears killing Rune Aae teaches science and biology at the University of Southeast Norway, and has spoken several times about Freya in the media. He is afraid that people will provoke a reaction from Freya that leads to her eventually having to be killed. Aae is particularly concerned about kayaks and canoeists, or others on boards or in small boats that come too close. – If people are reckless enough, I dare not guarantee the outcome if the 600 kilo animal becomes curious or annoyed, and starts playing with us. He says people by their mere presence stress Freya. It can also cause her to hurt herself in an attempt to get away. Maybe she’s laying down on a window on a wrecking boat. CONCERNED: Naturalist Rune Aae fears that curious people who come too close will provoke dangerous incidents in the face of the walrus Freya. Photo: Daphne Steketee / news But the Directorate of Fisheries will not answer news on what it takes for Freya to be killed. – If what is described there happens, then it is of a high degree of seriousness and then we must of course consider much stricter measures. But as of now it has not happened, and then we relate to the fact that there is no basis for killing. – Does that mean that you consider it completely unlikely that the walrus can harm a human? – We assess it continuously, depending on where it moves and behaves. And that’s why it’s so important that people stay away from provoking dangerous situations. LOVE: Freya has been visited by many people, both on the pier and from boats that want to see this summer’s big talk. Photo: Trond Reidar Teigen / NTB Seems tired and irritated On Wednesday morning, the boat that Freya has been in on Frognerkilen in Oslo was removed. Memona Johansen filmed while the walrus chased after a kayaker. She tells news that the big animal is struggling to get on a new boat or pier to rest. – Now she just swims back and forth, says Johansen. She thinks Freya is aggressive because she is tired, and says that the walrus swims away to people who are nearby. The kayaker felt threatened and had to get ashore to get peace, Johansen says. Not as clumsy as one might think, the Directorate of Fisheries encourages people to leave the walrus alone. “She is a wild animal of about 600 kilos, which is not necessarily as sluggish and clumsy as one might get the impression of,” the directorate writes in a press release. The walrus is a protected species and it is forbidden to disturb it unnecessarily.
ttn-69