's decision to euthanizebeloved celebrity walrusFreyain Norway brought an abrupt end to her summer of stardom. brought.
Now her death has sparked public outrage and renewed long-standing concerns about how the Scandinavian country treats its wildlife and natural resources.
Marine mammal weighing 1,300 lbs — shares name with Norse goddess of fertility and love — to whom she traveled For months it has captivated the public with its sturdy frame crushing small boats on the country's coastline. But Freyaon Sunday was concerned about the risks toher welfare andthe people who flocked to see her in the fjord area of Oslo. The Norwegian Fisheries Directoratesaid in a statement. that website.
Government agents were one of the many people who had gathered a few feet away to take pictures, throw things, and swim in the water near Freya. People have stated that they may be injured or killed by this animal. When she sunbathes or sleeps.
"I believe this was the right call. We have great respect for animal welfare, but human life and safety must come first," said the fisheries chief. Frank Bakke Jensen ofsaid on Sunday. Civilians did not approach Freyja.
Nonetheless, Monday's Norwegian headlines expressed shock over the decision."Fury after Freya's death" Reading the front page of the newspaper, broadcaster TV2 said that she was "killed by an audience"
"This is Norway in a nutshell,"Freya's journey. said biologist Rene Aye, who has been trackingin northern Europe.
"Too often we kill animals we don't like or can't deal with. How we treat these kinds of animals is outrage in Norway." Southeast Norway University science professor.
Freya, he said, was showing no signs of stress, but seemed interested in people instead. She criticized authorities for failing to lock down or attempting to relocate areas where walruses spend the most time, despite fears she could drown.
Move her. Even a lethal attempt to do so was better than euthanasia, he said.
The Fisheries Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Authorities are pushing the decision, with Prime Minister Jonas Gar Stoor endorsing it. "It was the right decision,"he told public broadcaster NRK on Monday."It is not surprising that this has led to many international reactions. Norway is a maritime nation and sometimes has to make unpopular decisions.
A fundraiser to build a monument to Freya had raised 160,000 Norwegian kroner ($16,500) on fundraising platform Spleis by Tuesday morning.
However, some experts agree that euthanasia was the right, albeit unpopular, decision.
Controlling all interactions between the traveling walrus and the inhabitants of the Oslo region she primarily fed on was an impossible task depleting local resources. , biologist and former adviser to the Norwegian Nature Survey, said Per Espen Fjeld.
"She wasn't behaving like a typical wild animal. We were looking for humans, which increased the risk of accidents," he said. "A friendly collision with a child swimming in water can be lethal." It will not affect the wider Arctic population, whose numbers are increasing after years of re-breeding efforts, Fjeld said.
Instead, the frenzy over Freya distracted him from making environmental policy decisions that endangered entire endangered species, he said,and the Norwegian government said he 80} emphasized the decision to provide new licenses for oil. The gas company plans to drill in the Barents Sea, closer to the native walrus population.
"No one talks about it. That's the real challenge and threat to the walrus population," Field said.
Tuesday saw the start of a week of heavy rains in southeastern Norway, coinciding with the end of the swimming season and the beginning of the new school year. Some questioned why the decision to euthanize the country's star animal was not made within days.
``Most people in Norway loved Freya. Party leader Ingrid Leland said
that she submitted questions to the fisheries minister asking what alternatives were considered before Freya was euthanized and why they were adopted.
"I hope you can understand why we couldn't keep her alive until the end of the summer in Norway," Leland added. "Summer isn't that long."