“The decision to euthanize was made based on a global assessment of the persistent threat to human safety,” Norway’s fisheries director Frank Bakke-Jensen said in a statement. “We carefully considered all possible solutions. We concluded that we could not guarantee the welfare of the animal by any of the available means,” he said. Officials had previously said they were considering euthanasia because repeated pleas for the public to keep their distance from the 600-kilogram (1,300-pound) young woman were futile. Freya, whose name was a reference to the Norse goddess of beauty and love, had been making headlines since July 17 when she was first spotted in the waters off the Norwegian capital. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Walruses usually live in the even more northern latitudes of the Arctic. In between long naps – a walrus can sleep up to 20 hours a day – Freya was filmed chasing a duck, attacking a swan and, more often than not, sleeping on boats struggling to support her bulk. Despite repeated appeals, curious onlookers continued to approach her, sometimes with children in tow, to take pictures. Freya had already been seen in the UK, Holland, Denmark and Sweden and chose to spend part of the summer in Norway. Freya first gained fame in Norway by climbing yachts in Kragerø, an idyllic southern coastal village. The walrus is a protected species that feeds mainly on invertebrates such as molluscs, shrimps, crabs and small fish.
