Last August, Freya the Walrus was put down in Norway. Freya became famous because she would waddle up to shore to sunbathe. Authorities warned people to keep their distance from the 1,300 pound walrus to keep themselves and the walrus safe. However, people refused. One time, police had to block off the bathing area because Freya chased a woman into the water. Just weeks after that incident, Norway’s fisheries ministry took a photo of a large group of adults and children standing within touching distance of Freya. Mr. Frank Bakke-Jensen, the director of general fisheries, stated that, “Through on-site observations the past week it was made clear that the public has disregarded the current recommendation to keep a clear distance to the walrus. Therefore, the Directorate has concluded, the possibility for potential harm to people was high and animal welfare was not being maintained.” He also added that they had considered moving Freya off the fjord, but ended up not doing it because of concern for the animal welfare of Freya. After Freya was euthanized, the community was highly upset. Erik Holm started an online campaign to raise money to build a statue of Freya. He raised $25,000 and said,”I started this because I’m furious about the way the [Norwegian] Fisheries Directorate and the state handled this situation.” Although it is rare for Walrus to attack humans, there was an incident in China in 2016 where a tourist and a zookeeper were killed. The tourist was taking selfies with the animal, and then he was grabbed and pulled underwater. The zookeeper went to rescue him, but he was also pulled underwater.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65439294

Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/05/01/1173012403/walrus-freya-euthanized-oslo-norway-sculpture