The Killing of Walrus Freya

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by Manateeman

Back to walruses.
So what do you call a group of walruses?
Captain Mark and the manatee crew.

Is "walruses" even a word?
Whether singular or plural isn't it still "walrus"?
A group? probably a "Bunch", as in "A bunch of blubber butts".
Anyway, it doesn't matter, "The walrus was Paul".

[AKA-None]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

So Norway does stupid things to protect stupid people. Sounds like USA. I cannot fathom why governments insist on interfering with the Darwin Award.

Agree

It’s worked for millennia

Not sure why we spend so much time letting stupid people define what is right

[Mike OReilly]

You mean like these government folk?

[Tetepare]

Mike, I think that more often than not, USCG saves those who got in over their head, but aren't necessarily morons who'd qualify for Darwin Award.

Attempting to swim with a walrus is a pre-qualifier for Darwin Award. Darwin Award is the ultimate recognition of stupidity; only one winner is awarded each year. Dying while doing something absolutely stupid is insufficient to guarantee a win, as the contenders are exemplary. While we might truly appreciate the complete stupidity of many contenders, only the absolutely most moronic, and typically most innovative, wins.

So while there is no guarantee that swimming with a walrus would win one the Darwin Award, certainly it has the foundational criteria. Killing Freya to terminate contention for the award is akin to outlawing private ownership of fire.

[Mike OReilly]

A lot of assertions and claims there TP. l’m just suggesting life is rarely as cut&dry. And hopefully doing it with some humour.

[Mariefred]

If you're a wild animal and you wander into densely populated human territory, it's never going to go well for you. Especially in the Nordic region.


Lots of weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth over an unusual incursion that ends in a dead animal, but silence over the dozens of large mammals that are taken out on land every day - mainly by vehicles - but often by bullets because they become, if not a pest, an inconvenience (and later food). I guess we don't give them cute names, and the media don't make a big deal about them, so no outcry. Which, in my view, is quite right.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Mariefred

If you're a wild animal and you wander into densely populated human territory, it's never going to go well for you. Especially in the Nordic region.


Lots of weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth over an unusual incursion that ends in a dead animal, but silence over the dozens of large mammals that are taken out on land every day - mainly by vehicles - but often by bullets because they become, if not a pest, an inconvenience (and later food). I guess we don't give them cute names, and the media don't make a big deal about them, so no outcry. Which, in my view, is quite right.

Your not talking about the heroic big game hunters who go out and shoot a bred lion that's just been fed then led to an appropriate spot to be shot from 25ft away..
The hero then strikes a dramatic pose over the carcass.
Or are you..
I remember the hero's from the States working on Mangla Dam who talked my dad into taking them on a wild boar hunt in the Jheels (that's how we got our pork).. we hiked into the swamp while they lined the edge.. all of a sudden a big boar burst out of the reeds and charged in their direction..
They did a covey of Partridge proud the way they scattered and ran..

[Cheechako]

I thought it was abhorrent. WTF?
Wildlife officials here in WA state killed a mama bear AND THREE cubs recently because they kept wandering around neighborhoods...! Again.. WTF? Why not relocate?

[Mariefred]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Your not talking about the heroic big game hunters who go out and shoot a bred lion that's just been fed then led to an appropriate spot to be shot from 25ft away..
The hero then strikes a dramatic pose over the carcass.
Or are you..
I remember the hero's from the States working on Mangla Dam who talked my dad into taking them on a wild boar hunt in the Jheels (that's how we got our pork).. we hiked into the swamp while they lined the edge.. all of a sudden a big boar burst out of the reeds and charged in their direction..
They did a covey of Partridge proud the way they scattered and ran..

No need to breed or feed anything to get close to a big mammal up here in the frozen wastes. Last time I drove my daughter home from her riding lesson - a distance of 6km - we counted 64 wild boar, 12 moose, at least 12 deer, and a couple of foxes. It'd take a while to give that lot cute names. They generally stay out of town, but we did have to take out a hippo sized boar that started wandering into gardens recently looking for windfalls. In fact, just yesterday a guy got killed by one down south. They're not vicious per se. They usually run away. I suspect he got between a mum and her kids. That's the thing with wild animals. They can get awfully wild if you rub them up the wrong way. Livid sometimes.

Moving every wild animal that causes a nuisance, while ideal, would cost a fortune. And the last I heard, walrus aren't endangered. Even ones with cute names. If a dog becomes a danger, steps are taken. Especially a huge one.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

I thought it was abhorrent. WTF?
Wildlife officials here in WA state killed a mama bear AND THREE cubs recently because they kept wandering around neighborhoods...! Again.. WTF? Why not relocate?

Probably because that takes a lot more time, and effort, and skill, and most significantly: money.

[Manateeman]

The walrus wasn’t a nuisance. The people were. It was just easier to shoot a walrus than arrest some people.
As far as the cost? It might not have been necessary to move the walrus at all.
The marine mammal scientist I’ve talked to agree, this walrus would have likely left to swim home in a few weeks.
Norway is a very wealthy country. The blowback will cost them far more than if they moved a HUDDLE of walruses.
Now here is our nomination for best Freda story so far.
A Norwegian woman claimed Freda whistled at her, which frightened her.
Well apparently this might have been the case. There is documentation male walruses have whistles at women. Seriously.
They are very vocal mammals and they produce a wide range of vocalizations including grunts, hums, throat sounds and whistles. It’s believed, the walruses are trying to judge the response to their calls. So if a woman turns her head and widens her eyes, walruses will respond by whistling again and doing the walrus bug eye. They have unusual eye muscles. They can out bug eye any other mammal. This is actually a known behavior.
It’s an effort to determine if whatever is approaching is a threat or not.
If you think whistles are not normal mammal behavior, we suggest you find a construction sight in Manhattan and listen to what happens if a good looking secretary walks by guys on their lunch break.
We are not condoning this harassment. Humans can change their behavior.
Walrus males will defend the huddle because they know ice bears will take the young. Vocalizations put the huddle on alert or serve to inform other males of territory. Sometimes walruses SING. We’re not kidding. Why? Well, why do people sing. Walruses are interesting mammals.
Captain Mark and the manatee crew.

[fourlyons]

Originally Posted by Sailing55

Answer the question, please. How does one kill "humanely"? How could any rational person accept the act of killing to be humane unless it is to end horrific suffering.

Killing humanely is killing in a way that at least minimizes, or ideally causes no pain. There are a number of ways to do this.
An actually rational person recognizes two other reasons to kill humanely, self defense or the defense of others and the need to eat.
There, I answered the question. Your welcome.

[NaClyDog]

Originally Posted by fourlyons

Killing humanely is killing in a way that at least minimizes, or ideally causes no pain. There are a number of ways to do this.
An actually rational person recognizes two other reasons to kill humanely, self defense or the defense of others and the need to eat.
There, I answered the question. Your welcome.

Because to some, killing is the answer to everything.


Carry on.

[Mariefred]

In a country teeming with wildlife and hunters, it will always be easier, and a lot cheaper, to shoot a walrus than arrest some people and relocate the animal. Giving it a name makes it a bit harder. But not much.

And of course it was a nuisance, otherwise they wouldn't have shot it. Obviously, your definition of nuisance will be different to theirs. Maybe they should've given you and others who feel strongly about it the opportunity to relocate it.

[Tetepare]

Where to draw the line? I relocate hornet nests with combustibles, thereby moving them from origin to the sky in the form of smoke. Nobody complains.