A walrus nicknamed Freya that attracted crowds while basking in the Oslo fjord used to be euthanised on Sunday, with Norway officers announcing it used to be basically the most attention-grabbing option however experts slamming an “infinitely unhappy” decision.
“The decision to euthanise used to be taken on the conception of a world review of the power threat to human safety,” the head of Norway’s Fisheries Directorate Frank Bakke-Jensen acknowledged in an announcement.
“We in moderation examined your whole conceivable solutions. We concluded that lets now no longer yell the effectively-being of the animal by any of the model readily available,” he acknowledged.
Officials had previously acknowledged they had been serious about euthanasia because repeated appeals to the public to retain their distance from the younger female weighing 600 kilograms (1,300 kilos) had been in pointless and that she used to be experiencing excessive stress.
Freya, whose establish is a reference to the Norse goddess of class and devour, had made headlines since July 17 when she used to be first spotted in the waters of the Norwegian capital.
Walruses in overall are residing in the even extra northerly latitudes of the Arctic.
Between prolonged naps in the sun—a walrus can sleep up to 20 hours a day—Freya had been filmed chasing a duck, attacking a swan and, as a rule, sleeping on boats struggling to enhance her bulk.
Despite repeated appeals, uncommon onlookers persevered to reach the mammal, generally with kids in tow, to settle photos.
‘Incredibly unhappy’
Experts acknowledged the decision to euthanise Freya did no longer taking into story the animal’s effectively-being.
Siri Martinsen, a spokeswoman for animal rights community NOAH, told TV2 television that it used to be a rushed measure and that fines must had been issued to disperse the onlookers.
“It be particularly life like,” she added, announcing it used to be a possibility to uncover folk easy learn the best map to respect wild animals.
“It be infinitely unhappy that they selected to euthanise such an even wanting animal simply because we did no longer behave effectively with it,” biologist Rune Aae told the NTB news company.
The Green Event earlier this week acknowledged experts instructed giving Freya sedatives and taking her some distance from populated areas, or taking her help to the faraway Svalbard archipelago.
But Bakke-Jensen acknowledged that “used to be now no longer a viable option” because such an operation would be too complex.