Euthanized Walrus Honored As Life-Size Statue Near Its Hangout Spot In Norway
Last summer, visitors to a fjord in Oslo were delighted by the sight of a walrus happily sunbathing in the area. Today, she is gone, and in her stead is a poignant statue memorializing her life and its sad end.
The creature was named Freya, after the Norse goddess of beauty and love. The walrus became a tourist attraction after first being spotted in July and hanging out at the same spot since.
Unfortunately, Norwegian authorities said they were pushed to put her to sleep after people repeatedly ignored their advice to keep a distance from the 1,300-pound creature, who was known to climb onto boats and submerge them.
Officials justified that the decision to euthanize Freya was a “humane” one, as tourists were risking their own lives as well as the mammal’s.
Upset animal lovers started a crowdfunding campaign to commission a sculpture in Freya’s memory. They ended up raising 270,000 Norwegian kroner (US$25,000) last fall, Norwegian news agency NTB reports (via the Independent).
Freya’s likeness was realistically crafted in bronze by Norwegian sculptor Astri Tonoian. It now rests near where the walrus loved to bask.
Portraying Freya lying on her side on the shore, the life-size sculpture has been named For Our Sins—after the way she died. The statue is also a reflection of how humans treat wildlife and even their own kind, Tonoian describes.
“She is in the fetal position. Like a sleeping child,” the artist explains on Instagram. “But those who know the conscience and know the history will think of her death.”
View this post on Instagram
“I have prepared an invitation for historians, philosophers, anthropologists, psychologists, social scientists, [and] biologists to be able to discuss, evaluate, and measure society before we can move it further in a better direction,” the sculptor adds.
View this post on Instagram
[via The Associated Press / The Independent and BBC, images via various sources]
