Life-size bronze sculpture of Freya, the euthanized Oslo walrus, sparks online campaign and controversy

The life-size bronze sculpture depicts Freya lying on her side on the shore.

“This is how humans treat wildlife, but this is how humans treat humans. This is how we treated Freya. That’s why I will call the statue ‘For our sins,'” said the statue’s creator, Astri Tonoian, who created it because she was outraged by the fate of the female walrus. .

An online campaign raised $25,000 (€22,677) to build the statue.

We already reported that in August of last year, the Norwegian authorities announced that they had euthanized a walrus that had attracted crowds of spectators in Oslo. It was concluded that the walrus poses a threat to humans, CBS News reported.

Earlier, officials had warned that people should not approach and pose for photos with the giant marine mammal. Freya loved to climb onto small boats, damaging them.

Walruses are protected and officials had previously expressed hope that Freya would go away on her own and that euthanasia would not be a last resort.

Atlantic walruses usually live in the Arctic. It is unusual for them to enter the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.