– The decision to euthanize was made after an overall assessment where we concluded that people’s lives and health could be in danger, says fisheries director Frank Bakke-Jensen in a press release. The action was carried out by personnel from the Directorate of Fisheries. – Well-trained personnel carried out the operation according to current routines for killing marine mammals. The action proceeded without drama, says Bakke-Jensen. The police and the Norwegian Food Safety Authority were notified in advance of the campaign and Freya has been handed over for further handling by veterinarians. – A possible relocation operation would have been very complicated and associated with high risk, so this option was opted out, says Bakke-Jensen. – We understand that this decision may create reactions among the public, but I am confident that this was the right decision. We are concerned with the well-being of animals, but people’s lives and health must come first, says Bakke-Jensen. Could pose a danger Earlier this week, the Directorate of Fisheries announced 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. The Directorate then stated that they had observed several potentially dangerous situations at the Kadettangen bathing area outside Oslo. They had documented that people bathe with the walrus. – We are talking about partly large crowds of all ages, where all clearly deviate from the current recommendations to keep a distance, said Nadia Jdaini, senior communications adviser in the Directorate of Fisheries.
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The walrus Freya has been euthanized – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
