(Image source: RTE)
Officials in Norway have arranged for a walrus to be euthanised over fears for public safety.
According to RTE, the walrus, who was nicknamed Freya, had started basking the a fjord in Oslo. Curious members of the public was coming to see her ever since she was first spotted sleeping in the sun on boats. Some took photographs of her and brought children so they could see what a walrus looked like.
Norwegian officials tried to keep people away from the walrus as they felt that it was making Freya feel stressed and as a result they felt they had no option but to euthanise the animal, with the head of Norway’s Fisheries Directorate saying “We carefully examined all the possible solutions. We concluded that we could not guarantee the well-being of the animal by any of the means available”. It was also felt that it would be too difficult to try and move Freya out to deeper waters and that the safety of the public had to take precedence.
The decision sparked outrage and disbelief that the authorities would euthanise Freya, particularly as walruses are a protected species. It was also felt that an opportunity to educate the public on how to act around wild animals.
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