Walruses | A statue was erected in Oslo to the walrus Freya, which was discontinued in the summer

Last a statue has been erected in Oslo’s Kongen Marina in memory of Freya, the walrus that died in Norway in August. The full-size walrus-sized statue was made by a sculptor Astri Tonoian. The Norwegian Broadcasting Company reports on the matter, among others NRK and news agency AP.

The statue was erected near the spot where Freya often rested in Oslo last year. Freya also died in the same place.

The purchase of the statue was financed by a fundraising campaign, which received 270,000 Norwegian kroner or about 22,800 euros in donations by October last year.

Freya was seen on the coast of Oslo for the first time in July of last year. Among other things, it climbed into people’s boats.

In August, however, it was decided to stop Freya, because according to the Fisheries Agency, it caused a “continuous threat to human safety”. Despite requests, people did not leave the walrus alone but came near it to take photos.

The termination decision caused a large amount of criticism in Norway.

Norway is not the only country that has erected a monument to the walrus that charmed the country. In August, a commemorative plaque was erected on Hamina’s Tervasaari for the Stena walrus that also traveled in Hamina and Kotka last summer.

Stena was seen for the first time in Hamina in July. However, the walrus died when it was being moved to Korkeasaari. Stena had previously been seen in Denmark, Sweden and Latvia, among others.

Seppo Huisma designed the commemorative board for Hamina’s walrus before it was erected. Picture: Paula Kaskimaa