Let's Talk About Freya the Walrus (UPDATE in the Descriptions)

#walrus #freya #kpassionate
UPDATE: I am aware of the tragic news regarding Freya and you can see my reaction here →
   • Could Freya the Walrus Have Been Saved?  

I know this was a complex issue with no easy solution. In fact, I mention in this video that relocating Freya would have been very difficult. However, it is my opinion that there were other options and euthanasia should not have been entertained.

Freya the walrus became famous in Norway after touring the scenic coastline, sunbathing in local harbors, and of course... sinking boats. Locals flocked to watch this slumbering walrus sleep on boats for days or weeks at a time. Freya and her passion for napping on boats made her a local celebrity.

Unfortunately, locals and tourists were unable to keep a respectful distance. According to news sources, there had been several dangerous encounters with Freya after people tried taking selfies with the animal, or worse, tried to swim with her. This tragically occurs all too often, where people harass wildlife and end up provoking aggression from the animals. In these cases, it is always the animal who pays the price for people's reckless behavior.

I am a marine biologist who has worked extensively with walruses. In fact, they are my favorite animal of all time. To me, there are a few reasons why Freya the walrus would haul out on boats. And it’s not because Freya was a destructive animal or on a mission to ruin people’s nautical hobbies.

Walruses, because of their physiology and their life cycle, have a very serious need to haul out of the water. What normally happens with walruses is they will spend days at a time out to sea foraging for food. Sometimes even up to a week. And while they can rest while out to sea… walruses don’t sleep in the water.

A new study on the sleeping habits of walruses determined walruses engage in periods of almost continuous swimming for up to 84 hours. While other animals, including humans, can stay awake and active for this amount of time, to do this regularly and without forceful intention was previously unheard of.

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna29616122

Once a walrus returns to land, or hauls out on an ice flow, they will settle into a very deep sleep that can last for days. I’ve personally seen a walrus sleep for three days straight. These boats, especially the inflatable zodiacs that are lower to the surface of the water, resemble ice flows. So Freya the boat sinking walrus was behaving perfectly naturally when she hauled out to sunbathe on boat.

Links, Sources, and Original Videos of this Norwegian walrus sinking boats:
https://tv.vg.no/video/241746/se-foel...

https://globalnews.ca/news/9022425/fr...

https://www.nbcnews.com/video/sunbath...

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/fr...

https://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/20...

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Music By
Cody Martin
Soundstripe

Additional Imagery:
Valerii - stock.adobe.com
A.Lukin -stock.adobe.com
Thirawatana - stock.adobe.com
zanskar/Pond5 - stock.adobe.com
VIDEODIVE/Pond5 - stock.adobe.com
Video S1 from Monson D, Udevitz M, Jay C (2013). "Estimating Age Ratios and Size of Pacific Walrus Herds on Coastal Haulouts using Video Imaging". PLOS ONE. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0069806. PMID 23936106. PMC: 3729469
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natalya2015 - stock.adobe.com
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