Wally sure gave us all a reason to smile and inspired many to track his journey, although those who were concerned about his welfare now have reason to heave a sigh of relief, as he is finally homeward bound- back to the ice floes of the Arctic.
PRAVASISAMWAD.COM
His big, pleading, innocent eyes can almost tempt you to give him a warm hug. But then the huge, bulky frame, the tufts of bristles and the tusks are enough to quickly drive all such thoughts away.
That’s Wally the itinerant Walrus at large, winning hearts wherever he goes. Seen in Ireland this year and then in France, Spain and the UK, the 800kg (125st) Arctic walrus, had disappeared during these last three weeks.
Identified from scars on both his front flippers, Wally the Walrus has travelled 4,000km (2,485 miles) and has swum more than 900km (560 miles) to reach Iceland, from his last location in Cork, Ireland.
Seal Rescue Ireland wrote: “Thanks to his ability to feed and rest, he has successfully made the long stretch and will hopefully reunite with his own kind again soon.”
About four years old, he was first spotted in County Kerry in March, and then in Spain, Tenby in Wales and Cornwall and the Isles of Sicilly. A purpose-built pontoon was made for him in Scilly, according to a BBC report.
Rafe Ward from Calypso Boats Scilly, says: “He was probably a bit tired and wanted to have a rest. He was trying to mount all the boats, damaging them. It was incredible! He has not shown any aggressive behaviour, but he is young and still a very large, wild animal.”
Wildlife experts now hope he is on way back to the Arctic. Rarely seen in the UK or Ireland there are approximately 20,000 walruses in the North Atlantic.
Wally is believed to have arrived from the Arctic on an ice floe. Due to global climate change the extent and thickness of the pack ice has reached unusually low level
Dan Jarvis from British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), says “He has been a very popular character while he’s been here, but we’re all quite pleased that he’s moved.”
Earlier spotted near Padstow, after sunbathing in Pembrokeshire, in Tenby, people started getting dangerously close to Wally. They wanted to pose for selfies. People tried to swim, paddleboard, kayak, jet-ski and even sail up to Wally for selfies. One woman even told her two children to swim out to Wally, while others have flown drones over his head. Amy, a trampoline instructor estimates she took more than 20,000 images of Wally!
Local businesses, particularly in Tenby, reaped rich dividends by creating a range of memorabilia to commemorate the visit.
Post Covid and lockdown, Wally appearance livened up the otherwise bleak and dreary scenario. It was indeed fantastic in every which way.
Cushions featuring a walrus flew off the shelves and Tenby’s tourism industry with him featuring on cushions took off and just how! Postcards, pictures, mugs and T-shirts, featuring Wally followed. Tenby’s Harbour brewery named a beer in Wally’s honour – Tamar’s Tusk, which also pays tribute to the Tamar class of lifeboats used by the town’s RNLI station.
Wally is believed to have arrived from the Arctic on an ice floe. Due to global climate change the extent and thickness of the pack ice has reached unusually low levels. Thinner pack ice over the Bering Sea and reduced coastal sea ice on the shorelines of the Chukchi Sea between eastern Russia and western Alaska, has further caused shrinking of habitat for the Walrus.
Walruses live mostly on the drifting sea ice known as ice floes. They prefer shallow shelf regions and forage primarily on the sea floor.
The mere mention of a Walrus, brings to mind Lewis Carroll’s poem “The Walrus and the Carpenter” in Through the Looking-Glass, that inspired the Beatles to sing, “I Am the Walrus.” And then came the “The White Seal” in Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, where it is the “old Sea Vitch—the big, ugly, bloated, pimpled, fat-necked, long-tusked walrus of the North Pacific, who has no manners except when he is asleep.”
Wally sure gave us all a reason to smile and inspired many to track his journey, although those who were concerned about his welfare now have reason to heave a sigh of relief, as he is finally homeward bound.
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