On Sunday morning, the walrus Freya was euthanized. The action was carried out by personnel from the Directorate of Fisheries. – The decision to euthanize was made after an overall assessment. We concluded that people’s lives and health could be in danger, said director of fisheries Frank Bakke-Jensen in a press release. It was still not guaranteed that the culling would take place, according to the Directorate of Fisheries. – If Freya had traveled far away or similar, then we would have changed the decision. We have always wanted to avoid killing Freya, says head of communications, Anette Aase. Expensive and difficult The Resources Department will provide a more detailed answer to the Directorate of Fisheries on Monday about the decision that was taken. There they write, among other things, more about why moving was not relevant. The Institute of Marine Research came up with three possibilities for relocation; to stun her, catch her in nets that were placed under the boats she was on, or gain control of her and put her in a strong cage underwater. The institute states that the latter was recommended as the most gentle. Nevertheless, the resources department writes that the solutions would be expensive and have little chance of success: “It was decided not to implement this on the basis of great uncertainty about the feasibility and the significant costs associated with such an operation,” they write. The police and the Norwegian Food Safety Authority were notified ahead of the action. The culling has received attention abroad. Had to chase people out of the water The Directorate of Fisheries announced last week that they were considering euthanizing the 600-kilogram animal. The reason was that the public did not follow the recommendations from the authorities to keep their distance from Freya. When the walrus recently appeared at the Kadettangen bathing area in Bærum, the Directorate of Fisheries believed that dangerous situations could have arisen. “Freya swims to Kadettangen beach where there are 300-400 bathers(…) We order people out of the water, but few will listen,” wrote the Maritime Service, which had to get assistance from the police. TAKING CHANCES: Many moved close to Freya on Kadettangen. The walrus is stressed by large crowds. Photo: Olav Døvik / NRKTAR CHANCES: Many moved close to Freya on Kadettangen. The walrus is stressed by large crowds. Photo: Olav Døvik / news Criticism of secrecy Secretary General of the environmental organization Sabima and biologist Christian Steel have demanded answers as to why the walrus was killed in complete secrecy. And he has criticized the secrecy. – The Directorate of Fisheries cannot keep this a secret just to make it convenient for itself. They must be able to provide documentation when there has been so much involvement around this walrus. Autopsy postponed until tomorrow Freya came to the Veterinary Institute in Ås on Monday morning. Here she will be examined by a game pathologist. – You open the animal and look at the internal organs and describe what you see, says specialist for game, Knut Madslien, at the Veterinary Institute. This is done on behalf of the Institute of Marine Research. – The autopsy of the deceased walrus will be able to give the researchers information about, for example, the stomach contents – then we can learn more about what it has eaten, writes the Institute of Marine Research in an e-mail to news. Because the walrus was partially frozen when she arrived at the veterinary institute, the autopsy has been postponed until tomorrow. From Troms to the Oslofjord Freya got to know her properly after a visit to Kragerø earlier this summer. Here she relaxed on several leisure boats. After that, she swam further in and around the Oslofjord. In recent weeks, she has been based just outside Oslo, in Bærum and Asker municipality. In October 2021, Freya traveled to the Netherlands. Then she was found asleep on the submarine “Den Helder”. The submarine belonged to the Dutch Navy. SLEEP ON A SUBMARINE: The submarine Freya slept on belonged to the Dutch Navy. Photo: Royal Netherlands Navy Submarine Service / Royal Netherlands Navy Submarine Service SLEEP ON A SUBMARINE: The submarine Freya slept on belonged to the Dutch Navy. Photo: Royal Netherlands Navy Submarine Service / Royal Netherlands Navy Submarine Service A local Dutch radio station decided they wanted to give the walrus a name. They created a contest where over 2,000 people submitted proposals. The name Freya emerged victorious from the competition. The first time “Freya” was seen in Norway was in Troms in 2019.
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That is why the authorities chose to euthanize Freya – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
