Freya, the playful walrus who had to be put down, returns to Oslo as a statue

A bronze sculpture of Freya the walrus, who gained global attention last summer after playfully basking in the Oslo Fjord until officials euthanised her, was unveiled in Norway's capital on Saturday.

The life-size sculpture depicts Freya lying on her side on the rocky shore of Oslo's Kongen Marina, not far from where the 600kg walrus last summer drew large crowds as she chased ducks and swans and sunbathed on boats that struggled to support her bulk.

Officials decided to put her down in August, saying she was suffering from stress and posed a risk to people who did not keep their distance as requested.

The decision caused anger among some, and an online campaign raised more than $25,000 to pay for the sculpture of Freya by Norwegian artist Astri Tonoian.

"I started this because I'm furious about the way the Fisheries Directorate and the state handled this situation," campaign organiser Erik Holm told AFP before the unveiling.

"Beyond the issue of Freya, we need to ask ourselves how we treat animals and nature. We need to think about our relationship to wildlife."

Freya, estimated to be around five years old, had been sighted in the UK, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden before choosing to spend part of the summer in Norway.

The walrus is a protected species that normally lives in the more northerly latitudes of the Arctic.

Despite repeated appeals to stay away, curious onlookers approached the mammal, sometimes with children in tow, to take photographs.

Walruses do not normally behave aggressively towards humans, but they can feel threatened by intruders and attack.

Critics said the decision to put the animal down was rushed and did not take her well-being into account.

Officials said sedating Freya and moving her to a less populated area would be too complex an operation.