Norway: A Monument to Walrus Freya | Current Europe | DW
The bronze sculpture is life-size. The walrus lady Freya is shown. The monument on the Oslofjord is intended to commemorate the mammal, which only became a crowd puller in Oslo last summer norway capital, but was then euthanized despite protests.
The monument shows the animal, which weighs almost 600 kilograms, curled up in the harbor of Frognerkilen Bay just outside the gates Oslos. A fundraising campaign had raised 270,000 Norwegian kroner (22,800 euros) for the statue. “I started the campaign because I’m angry at how the Fisheries Agency and the state have handled this situation,” organizer Erik Holm told AFP.
Too busy, too much stress
As the broadcaster NRK reports, sculptor Astri Tonoian said at the unveiling of the monument that the case was important. It’s about how people deal with nature, says Tonoian. The memorial is a reminder of how decisions are made and how well they are justified.
Freya repeatedly appeared off Oslo in the summer of 2022 and lay on boats at anchor. Despite repeated warnings from the authorities, onlookers jumped into the water to see the animal or got very close to it with children on the bank to take photos.
Finally, the Fisheries Directorate assessed the safety risk as too great. Apparently there were signs of stress from the animal and it was feared that the animal could become dangerous. Freya was therefore put down on August 14th. Walruses are a protected species and typically live in the more northerly latitudes of the Arctic.
AR/uh (dpa, afp)
