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Online campaign raises US$20,000 for Freya walrus statue in Norway
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RIP, Freya: The female walrus nicknamed Freya naps on July 18 on the waterfront at Frognerstranda in Oslo. Norwegian officials said on Sunday that Freya, who had attracted crowds despite public warnings against approaching the wild animal, had been euthanized. (AFP/NTB/Tor Erik Schrøder)
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n online campaign has raised over US$20,000 to build a statue in Norway for Freya, a beloved walrus that was euthanized by officials at the weekend.
The walrus gained global attention after she was spotted basking in the Oslo fjord, attracting large crowds keen to spot the 600-kilogram marine mammal.
She was put down on Sunday after officials said she was showing signs of stress and feared she was a threat to the public, which did not maintain distance as requested.
By Wednesday, an online campaign had raised 210,000 Norwegian krone ($21,600) to build a statue in the young walrus's honor.
The campaign's organizer said the statue should serve as a reminder for future generations to protect animals.
"The culling of Freya sends the extremely negative message that Norway, and in particular Oslo, is not able to make room for wild animals," Erik Holm said on the fundraising website Spleis.no.
"By erecting a statue of the symbol that Freya has become in such a short time, we will remind ourselves [and generations to come] that we cannot and should not kill or erase nature when it is in our path."
Freya, estimated to be around 5 years old, had already been sighted in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, and chose to spend part of her summer in Norway. She had made headlines since July 17, when she was first spotted in the waters of the Norwegian capital.
The walrus is a protected species that normally lives in the even more northerly latitudes of the Arctic, and can sleep up to 20 hours a day.
Between long naps in the sun, Freya had been filmed chasing a duck, attacking a swan and dozing on boats struggling to support her bulk.
Despite repeated appeals, curious onlookers continued to approach the mammal, sometimes with children in tow, to take photographs.
Walruses do not normally behave aggressively toward humans, but they can feel threatened by intruders and attack.
Critics said the decision to put the animal down was rushed and did not take her wellbeing into account, while officials said sedating Freya and moving her to a less populated area would be too complex an operation.
