Northumberland sand tribute to Freya the walrus who was euthanised in Norway

The wild walrus euthanised in Norway has been commemorated with a sand sculpture in a Northumberland seaside town.

Named after the Norse goddess of love, Freya visited Seahouses in November 2021.

People from across the region travelled to see her before she set off for Denmark, Sweden and, finally, Norway.

It was there that Freya was killed by the authorities on 14 August, who believed she posed a "threat to human safety".

This is because people were ignoring warnings to keep their distance from the animal.

• Video report by Helen Ford.

British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) has written a letter to the Norwegian Government calling for "transparency" following the incident.

Andy Siddon from the BDMLR said: "Another Freya could pop up.

"Thought processes have got to be in place, to have actions in place, to make sure they can respect the distance and the human kindness aspect really, to look after these creatures of the sea."

The idea to create the tribute to Freya on St Aidan's beach, came from sand artist Claire Eason and Moira Redhead from Newbiggin Dolphin Watch.

A team of artists, following a template, carved out the features of Freya the walrus in the sand.

Claire Eason said: "What I wanted to do was to create something that belonged here in the locality because Freya visited Seahouses.

"It seemed like the ideal thing to do, to create a portrait of her, where she visited us."

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