A collection of donations made it possible to collect more than 20,000 euros to erect a statue in honor of the walrus Freya, who became a star of the Oslo fjord this summer but was killed by the authorities “in the name of the protection of humans”.
The decision to kill the young female of 600 kilos, from a protected species, made waves in Norway, where the mammal had won hearts by climbing on boats to doze there, even if it meant damaging them. A controversy that has also spread beyond the borders of the kingdom.
An online donation campaign has been launched to raise 200,000 crowns (20,300 euros) to erect a statue for the walrus. By midday on Wednesday, this objective had been exceeded with more than 206,000 crowns collected.
“Extremely negative signals”
“The culling of Freya sends extremely negative signals that Norway, and in particular Oslo, is not able to make room for wild animals,” says Norwegian collection promoter Erik Holm on the Spleis.no website.
“By erecting a statue of the symbol that Freya has become in a short time, we will remind ourselves (and generations to come) that we cannot and should not kill or erase nature when it is ‘in our way’. “, he adds.
Problematic human behavior
Walruses typically live in even more northern Arctic latitudes, but Freya, whose name refers to a goddess associated with love and beauty in Norse mythology, had bathed in the waters of the Norwegian capital since the 17 July.
There, she attracted the curious. Too much for the taste of the Norwegian authorities who had warned that the animal would be euthanized if the public continued to approach too close to the animal or to bathe with it to the point of stressing it and putting themselves in danger. These instructions not having been followed, the walrus was killed with a firearm on Sunday.
“A possible operation to move it would have been extremely complicated and associated with high risks”, tried to explain the head of the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, Frank Bakke-Jensen, in a press release.
“We understand that this decision may raise reactions among the public, but I am convinced that it is the only decision that is valid. We are concerned about the welfare of animals, but the lives and safety of humans must come before “, he argued.
Death threats
Mr. Bakke-Jensen and his wife say they have since received death threats. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre himself felt that the decision taken was “the right one”.
Feeding primarily on invertebrates such as molluscs, shrimp, crabs and small fish, the walrus does not normally attack humans, but may react aggressively if threatened.
This article has been published automatically. Sources: ats / afp