Dutch marine experts condemn killing of walrus Freya

Dutch marine wildlife groups have condemned the decision by the Norwegian authorities to kill a walrus which had been hanging round an Oslo harbour for several weeks.

The walrus, given the name Freya, was put down at the weekend on the grounds of public safety. Despite warnings, hundreds of people were still approaching the 600 kilo animal and that left no choice but to put it to sleep, Norwegian officials said.

In October Freya spent time in the Netherlands, where she was filmed by a submarine crew enjoying a rest on HNLMS Dolfijn, which appropriately belongs to the Walrus class of vessels. She had also been spotted in Scotland, Ireland and Sweden.

RIP 🕯🙏🏻 #freya 💙💙💙 pic.twitter.com/y8suuRJwOT

— Onderzeedienst Koninklijke Marine (@ozd_czsk) August 14, 2022

Experts from Dutch marine rescue organisations SOS Dolfijn and the Pieterburen seal centre told news website Nu.nl that other options were open to the Norwegian authorities.

Freya’s movements followed a pattern and ‘they could have waited until she went off of her own accord,’ Annemarie van den Berg from the Pieterburen centre said.

‘If she had gone away herself and had died because her health was poor she would have at least died of natural causes,’ said the centre’s education chief Sander van Dijk. He argues that the animal could have been easily moved ‘even if it was expensive’.

SOS Dolfijn said on Twitter the decision to kill the mammal was a ‘disgrace’ and ‘abhorrent’.

‘There were lots of things they could have done to ensure public safety. Enforce distancing, ban swimming, chasing her away,’ the organisation said.

RIP 🕯🙏🏻 #freya 💙💙💙 pic.twitter.com/y8suuRJwOT

— Onderzeedienst Koninklijke Marine (@ozd_czsk) August 14, 2022

‘The decision to euthanise was taken on the basis of a global evaluation of the persistent threat to human security,’ The Local quoted the head of Norway’s Fisheries Directorate, Frank Bakke-Jensen, as saying.

‘We carefully examined all the possible solutions. Unfortunately, we concluded that we could not guarantee the wellbeing of the animal by any of the means available,’ he said.

‘Ultimately, it is people’s fault that this decision was taken,’ Sophie Brasseur from Wageningen University’s marine research unit told broadcaster NOS. Although the decision must have been difficult to take, ‘walruses can be deadly to humans,’ she said.