Freya, a female walrus, invites herself on pleasure boats in Norway – rts.ch

Already spotted in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, Freya, whose name refers to a goddess associated with love and beauty in Norse mythology, chose to spend part of the summer in Norway, where she first climbed and rose to fame. From July 17th the pleasure boats dock in the picturesque south coast village of Krakero before heading to the capital’s seaside resort.

The presence of the mammal, which normally lives in the more northerly latitudes of the Arctic, piqued the interest of locals and made headlines in the press.

A young female walrus, nicknamed Freya, rests on a boat on July 19, 2022 in Frognerkiln, Oslo Fjord, Norway. [Tor Erik Schrøder / NTB – AFP]

In this country in love with “slow TV”, a type of television program characterized by its long duration, the newspaper Verden’s Gang decided to rebroadcast it for a while. Live on their website The smallest actions and gestures of a marine mammal.

Between two big naps – a walrus sleeps up to 20 hours a day – Freya was filmed chasing a duck, tackling a swan or, more often than not, sleeping on boats.

No planned action despite damage

“Material damage is a shame, but that’s how it is if there are wild animals,” fisheries officer Rolf Harald Jensen explained to the TV2 channel. Animal weight.

Freya damaged and in some cases sank pleasure boats moored in Fraknergylen Bay off the coast of Norway. [Trond Reidar Teigen / EPA – KEYSTONE]

After considering moving Freya for a while or euthanizing her if she posed a danger to the public, Norwegian authorities finally decided to let nature take its course. “He is doing well, eating, resting and in good condition,” the Department of Fisheries said in a statement on Monday.

A protected species, the walrus feeds mainly on invertebrates such as molluscs, shrimp, crabs and small fish. Its average adult weight is one ton for a male and 700 kilograms for a female.

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