A huge fish-loving walrus named Freya is causing trouble in Norway – and the Norwegian government has warned it may have to euthanize her if the Norwegians don’t leave her alone.
The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries told CNN who is “monitoring the situation” around Freya, watching the walrus closely with a patrol ship. The young walrus has been spending time in the fjord (arm of sea that enters the mainland between high mountains) of Oslo, a cove on the southeastern coast of the country.
But recently, “the public has ignored the current recommendation to keep a clear distance from the walrus,” Nadia Jdaini, spokeswoman for the Norwegian Fisheries Board, told CNN by email.
Visitors are swimming with Freya, throwing objects at her and getting close to her to take pictures — sometimes “with their children in tow,” Jdaini said.
For the board, this means that their alerts are not enough.
“We will have to look at other options besides the current strategy of asking people to stay away from the wild animal,” Jdaini said. “One of those options, as previously stated by the Board since the beginning of this summer, is to give the green light to a controlled operation to slaughter the animal.”
“Other possible solutions, such as transferring the animal from the Oslo fjord, are also under discussion.”
Female walruses weigh between 600 and 900 kilograms, Jdaini said. There are more than 25,000 Atlantic walruses making their homes in the frigid waters around Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Marine mammals migrate along the coast to feed on molluscs and other invertebrates in shallow waters.
Freya has become a social media sensation this summer, Rune Aae, who teaches biology at the University of Southeast Norway and manages a Google map of Freya sightings, told CNN . Several videos show the walrus climbing on small boats to sunbathe.
“Usually walruses appear on some islands, but they leave very soon because they are afraid of people,” Aae said.
But Freya “is not afraid of people,” he said. “Actually, I think she likes people. So that’s why she doesn’t leave.”
Aae said the last time a walrus was documented this far south in the North Sea was in 2013. “It’s not at all common,” he said — prompting crowds of Norwegians to flock to see Freya.
The board’s plan to relocate Freya out of the fjord would be logistically challenging and dangerous, Aae believes, as it would require careful sedation time to ensure she doesn’t drown in the water.
He says the ideal is for Freya to leave alone, as she did in March after visiting the Oslo fjord.
“Killing her is an easy way out,” Aae said. “Perhaps the mood has changed in public opinion about her. So I really hope they try to move her, or have the patience to wait.”
Source: CNN Brasil
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