Did Freya the walrus have to die?
In mid-July, a 600kg walrus, affectionately nicknamed Freya, appeared near Norway's capital city in the Oslo Fjord.
Indeed, the outrage - which fanned out far beyond Norway's borders - has been such that even the country's prime minister has been forced to comment, saying putting Freya down was "the right decision''.Freya's journey to Oslo most likely started in the Arctic, but over the last year she appeared to have undertaken a European tour, with sightings in UK, Dutch, Danish and Swedish waters.
But then, says Mads Frost Bertelsen, the Zoological Director at Copenhagen Zoo, that is not surprising. Walruses tend to live in remote areas, which means they don't often come into contact with humans. This means statistics on incidents are low - but, he points out, they are capable of inflicting "serious damage".The blame, however, does not sit with Freya, according to Dr Jeff W Higdon, a consulting Arctic marine mammal biologist from Canada with experience of walruses.
"That the government chose to take Freya's life rather than try to manage this potential risk through implementing more effective measures to manage the behaviour of people was surprising and disappointing," Prof Wickson says.Norway's Fisheries Directorate did discuss a possible solution to the issue other than euthanasia with experts before acting, including members of the Institute of Marine Research .
But that wasn't the only option put on the table - the IMR also considered putting a net under a boat with the aim of catching Freya.
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