Norway Killed a Walrus Named Freya Because Humans Wouldn't Leave Her Alone

A senior fisheries official who controversially ordered the killing of Norway’s celebrity walrus Freya has himself been bombarded with death threats in response to the decision.

Frank Bakke-Jensen, the director-general of the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, revealed on Monday he had been sent death threats on Facebook from people in Norway and across the world, after news broke that Freya had been put down over the weekend due to concerns she could attack the crowds that had gathered to see her.

Bakke-Jensen’s wife, Hilde Sjurelv, was also targeted with threats and abusive comments, despite having nothing to do with the decision to euthanise the 600kg walrus.

“Murderer, murderer, may you die in hell,” read one of the comments.

“It’s completely fine not to agree, but making death threats is going too far. That’s going too far,” Sjurelv told Norwegian broadcaster NRK.

“This is about an issue I have nothing to do with, apart from being married to Frank,” she said.

Freya, a female walrus believed to be about 5 years old, made headlines this summer after straying far from her species’ usual habitat in Arctic waters, and making a habit of climbing onto docked leisure boats, sometimes sinking them.

Hundreds of people gathered to take a look at her, sparking fears that she could attack bystanders. Officials warned that she might be euthanised if people did not stay away. 

The news that officials had followed through on the threat triggered a huge backlash, with critics arguing that the ministry should have fined people for getting too close to the walrus instead of killing her. In an opinion piece in Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten, biologist Erik Steineger slammed the decision as “so incredibly stupid” and said officials had opted for “the typically Norwegian solution: guns.”

Bakke-Jensen said while he understood the move would prompt emotional reactions, the threats against his family crossed a line, and he was reporting them to the police.

“I have no problem receiving complaints or objections about my job to me personally. But I think it’s way over the line to contact my family,” he told NRK. “But that has unfortunately become part of everyday life.”

“My own safety is taken care of, so I’m not too concerned about that. This is an issue that has been very emotive and that can set off a lot of irrational forces, so we get examples like this,” he said.