Residents in Norway have created an online fundraising campaign to build a statue commemorating Freya, a 1,400-pound walrus who became a local celebrity before being euthanized over the weekend.
Freya was a crowd favorite by swimming from harbor to harbor to feed and rest along the coast. The creature made headlines for sometimes sinking small boats she climbed upon due to her size, and she attracted large crowds locally.
NORWAY PUTS DOWN BELOVED WALRUS FREYA, DESTROYER OF BOATS
However, Freya’s popularity prompted concerns about her well-being and the safety of the public after groups repeatedly ignored warnings and invaded her habitat. As a result, officials made the decision to euthanize the walrus on Sunday, deeming it too risky to relocate her.
Many people decried the decision as “a strong negative signal effect that we in Norway, and especially Oslo, are not able to provide living space for wild animals,” according to an online fundraiser created this week.
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“By erecting a statue of the symbol Freya quickly became, we will always remind ourselves (and future generations) that we cannot or should not always kill and remove nature when it is ‘in the way,’” wrote Erik Holm, who organized the fundraiser. “Then together we see to it that a statue of Freya is put in place which will be impossible to move for the few who wanted Freya dead.”
The fundraiser had already raised more than $20,000 by Wednesday, with all of the proceeds going toward erecting a statue of Freya. If the group does not raise enough money to pay for the statue in full, the funds will instead be given to the Worldwide Fund for Nature in Norway, a group dedicated to nature conservation.
