Norway euthanizes Freya, celebrity walrus that captured hearts, drew crowds

Freya the walrus was euthanized early Sunday morning by the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries because the public was not heeding warnings to stay away from her.

The Norwegian government euthanized Freya the walrus early Sunday morning citing safety concerns after the public did not heed warnings to stay away from her.

“The decision to euthanize the walrus was made based on an overall assessment of the continued threat to human safety,” Frank Bakke-Jensen, the director general of the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, said in a press release.

“Highly skilled and trained personnel executed the order in conduct with current routines and regulations for euthanasia for marine mammals.”

Freya, a 600-kilogram walrus named after the Norse goddess of love and beauty, became a social media star this summer after being repeatedly sighted around Oslo’s harbour. She made a name for herself by dozing on moored boats and sinking them under the weight of her bulky frame.

Kathrine Ryeng, a veterinary medicine scientist at Norway’s Institute of Marine Research, told NBC News that Freya was likely choosing to sleep, relax and digest food on empty boats because they reminded her of Arctic ice floes.

Experts believe that Freya left her natural habitat in the Arctic Circle and swam south as environmental degradation increases competition for food among walrus populations. Ryeng posited that Freya had developed a taste for the Pacific oyster, and was choosing to spend time along Norway’s coast where the invasive species was most concentrated.

“If Freya actually eats this delicacy, she could prove to be a resource for management by limiting spread and clearing the population,” said marine researcher Lars-Johan Naustvoll, who was involved in mapping concentrations of Pacific oysters around Norway.

Initially, the Directorate of Fisheries said that “euthanasia is out of the question” and “the last option” for Freya as walruses are a protected species in Norway.