I read about a walrus in Norway in the news this morning, and the story is heart-breaking. Her name was Freya, named after the goddess. She was estimated to weigh 1,300 pounds and known for lounging publicly in seaside communities around Oslo. When she could not find rocks on which to sun herself, she found ways to beach her massive girth on boats and other floating craft, sometimes damaging or sinking them.
Naturally she drew crowds of onlookers and fans, and this is what caused trouble. It seems that we humans have forgotten that wild animals of any kind should be regarded from a safe distance, and on occasion people have been killed by zoo animal residents who felt invaded by people not their normal keepers or staff. The officials in Oslo gave warnings to the public a try, but to no avail. On August 14, according to an article in the New York Times, she was shot execution-style in what is being called euthanasia but many consider murder, and her remains disintegrated. Options such as relocating her were dismissed because of a poor record of prior attempts on large marine mammals, as well as concerns that tranquilizing Freya would increase her risk of drowning in transport.
Some people in Norway have spoken out that their methods of killing what is inconvenient to them are wrong (somebody commented that she had a “beard” as a descriptive excuse for not wanting her around), and that other alternatives should be considered. Freya had been the first walrus to visit Norway in over 20 years, but she didn’t live to celebrate one year on their coast.
Every creature on this planet–humans and animals–have a role to play, and we must not discount the existence of one of us in favor of another. The absence of one creature and their purpose throws the rest of the world into chaos. We cannot forget that we have one planet holding a universe of beings, and our responsibility is to live and let live in the most peaceful way possible.
If there is a Valhalla for animals, Freya is surely there.
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