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UPDATE: A New Statue Honors Freya the Walrus, But Will Real Change Come?

UPDATE: A New Statue Honors Freya the Walrus, But Will Real Change Come?

Freya the walrus frequented the shore of Oslo, Norway, last summer, attracting onlookers who disobeyed rules and did not respect her space. Because of this, she was killed by the Norwegian government, which acted hastily without trying to mitigate the problem in non-lethal ways or by addressing the human-caused root of the problem.

 

Now a statue of Freya, who was named after the Norse goddess of beauty and love, stands at the shore she frequented to serve as a reminder to humans to peacefully coexist with other species. Norwegian artist Astri Tonoian created the life-sized bronze statue through a crowdfunding effort, and aptly titled it For Our Sins. Tononian’s reported intention is to highlight a parallel between our callous treatment of humans and other animals and to remind us to do better.

Our recent alert calls on Norwegian government officials to implement a policy change that would prevent future deaths of walruses and other wild animals. The government should have more thoroughly pursued other measures like relocation, better enforcement of a perimeter, or other non-lethal methods before resorting to taking this beautiful animal’s life. Please take action if you have not already.

While a statue is a nice gesture and a reminder of our species’ failings in this tragic occurrence, it is up to the authorities and the people of Norway to take one step further for animals and nature. They can ensure, through legal protections or other measures, that no wild animal should ever again meet the same fate as Freya for the sins of humans.

To find out more about how to protect animals like Freya, visit our Wild Animals campaign.

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