Freya was a young female walrus who appeared along the coasts of several western European countries (the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway) from October 2021 until her death on 14 August 2022.
[6] Although she might have been seen elsewhere as early as 2019,[7] Freya was first spotted and subsequently named in October 2021 resting on top of the Dutch Walrus-class submarine HNLMS Dolfijn.
She was identifiable by a pink spot on her nose,[10] as well as her small tusks and an old injury on her flipper, making her distinguishable from other wandering walruses Wally and Stena.
Caroline Radnofsky of the American NBC News speculated that climate change in the Arctic, which causes the ice cover to melt and thus increases competition for food, might have been a reason for Freya to stray so far from her natural habitat.
[15] Freya's carcass was delivered to a laboratory of the Norwegian Veterinary Institute where it was dismembered by a health surveillance team led by Knut Madslien.
[15] Frank Bakke-Jensen, the director general of fisheries, stated that the decision to kill Freya was based "on an overall assessment of the continued threat to human safety", saying also that "animal welfare was not being maintained".
[2][5][b] Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre the next day said he supported the killing, stating "It was the right decision.
"[18] The Washington Post acknowledged the potential difficulties with transporting marine animals, pointing to a beluga whale who died earlier in August during his attempted rescue from a river near Paris.
[5] Similar criticism was voiced by wildlife conservation organisations Seal Rehabilitation and Research Centre and SOS Dolphin [nl] in the Netherlands.
[12] Espen Fjeld said that Freya's death would not impact the walrus population, but pointed to Norway's decision in March 2022 to license more oil drilling in the Barent Sea as threatening the entire endangered species.
"[12] In April 2023, a bronze sculpture of Freya lying on her side by sculptor Astri Tonoian called For Our Sins was unveiled in Oslo, after an online fundraising campaign, organised by Erik Holm, raised $25,000.