Finnish qualifier Stena died during transport – NRK Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
In Finland, the qualifier Stena has made almost as big an impression as Freya has in Norway.
The large animal has been feeding in the Finnish archipelago lately. But when she appeared in a garden in the city of Kotka, 150 meters from the sea, there was concern among the Finns.
Picture from the city shows Stena as asleep, stretching and taking her life calmly on the grass, just like at the children’s trampoline.
The homeowners notified the naudetatane, who finally decided that the animal should be moved to a game hospital.
Concerns were already expressed before Stena’s health.
– For the blink of an eye, the health of the animal is very poor, said Nina Trontti, director of animal care at Korkeasaari Zoo.
Starved and thin
The assessment was that the walrus’ fat layer was very thin, and that Stena probably would not survive in the wild in the condition she was in. The animal had to leave the garden anyway, write Yle.
The choice was between killing, or trying to transport her to the game hospital.
Transfer is one of the alternatives. If the walrus is in very poor condition and dies under anesthesia, it is of course also a possible situation, Trontti said.
Firefighter Juha Säämänen wins Iltalethi that it was clear that Stena had no plans to move from the garden itself.
– We have tried to move it, but it does not really react to it, he says, and add that they tried to stab the animal with a stick and a brush.
Did not survive the trip
The police, two veterinarians, an animal caretaker, a firefighter and a rescue unit participated in the work, according to Iltalethi. Many also showed up to see the animal and the rescue operation.
Around 8 pm they started anesthetizing Stena. A tree was also cut down by the walrus so that the rescue crew had more space.
It turned out, however, that it was difficult to get the heavy animal to sleep.
– Getting marine mammals to sleep is challenging, said Trontti, who stated that they had been in contact with Norwegian experts.
Just like before 10 pm started towards the animal hospital in Helsinki. Shortly afterwards, the message came that Stena had not survived the trip.
– The tests and transport in the last few days were too heavy for the weak animal and it died along the way, the game hospital wrote on Twitter.
– Can be fatal
Qualifier expert Rune Aae at the University of Southeast Norway says Stena’s situation was different than Freya’s.
– The starting point was so debilitating that she felt stress and moving badly. There was probably a bit of hell anyway, says Aae to NRK.
– But anesthetizing animals that one does not have good knowledge of and that one does not know the weight of, it can be fatal.
– Kvalross in the Baltic Sea, how common is it?
– It’s a bad idea, it has turned out. An adult walrus needs 5–6000 mussels every day, and this is not the case in the Baltic Sea.
Aae has also mapped Stena’s movements. Stena has traveled past Copenhagen and into the Baltic Sea, the observations show.
To Aftenposten Aae says that Stena is probably between 25 and 30 years old.
– So really old. It can be so simple that she has navigated incorrectly in a city.
Should not try anesthesia
In recent days, the national celebrity Freya has settled on a boat in the capital. Some people think she should have been stunned and transported away, when she is visiting densely populated areas.
– I do not think one should try it. There are many other measures one can try before one gets this far.
Aae says it is always a demanding task to anesthetize wild animals, and that we have some experience in anesthetizing walruses.
The walrus Stena was first set in the Finnish coastal town of Fredrikshamn on Friday. Only a few days later did she get stuck in a fishing net, something the vets think may have consumed her strength.
NRK first wrote that the qualifier was called Hamina, something that was the wrong name. Ho heiter Stena.