Norway. A statue was unveiled in honor of the walrus Freya. Her death caused great emotions

The life-size bronze sculpture of a 600-kilogram mammal depicts Freya lying on her side on a rocky shore in the Oslo Fjord. She appeared near this place in mid-July last year. The huge mammal basking in the sun and clumsily climbing onto the boats moored in the area quickly gained immense popularity and became a local mascot. The animal was named after the Norse goddess of love, beauty and war.

Erik Holm, the originator of the walrus memorial, said he was “furious at how the fisheries directorate and the state handled the situation”. “We have to ask ourselves how we treat animals and nature. We need to think about our relationship with wildlife, he added.

Holm said more than $25,000 was raised to build the sculpture. The online collection started shortly after the walrus was killed in August. Almost the entire amount was collected within a few days.

The local authorities, who decided to kill the animal, explained that it poses a threat to people. Photos appeared on the web, which showed crowds of people by the water, leaning over the walrus that was within arm’s reach from them. Authorities have often unsuccessfully appealed for people to keep their distance from the wild animal.

The killing of a sea walrus caused great emotions in Norway and divided the local society. Some were so upset by the decision to kill the marine mammal that they accused the Norwegian authorities of “murdering” it. Some experts argued that the decision was made too quickly and that the animal’s welfare was not taken into account. According to the authorities, the operation to move the walrus to a less populated area could prove too complicated.

Before appearing in Norway, Freya was seen in the waters of Great Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden. The walrus is a protected species whose natural habitat is the waters of the Arctic. They can behave aggressively towards people when they feel threatened by them.