An Arctic walrus spotted off the coast of South Wales is thought to be the same animal that likely dosed its way to Ireland on an iceberg.
The sleepy mammal appeared on the Pembrokeshire coastline days after a delighted five-year-old girl clocked the unlikely arrival off Valentia Island, County Kerry.
The RSPCA branded the latest sighting a ‘landmark day’, since it was the organisation’s first call about a walrus, and said it thought the huge creature was in good health.
After Muireann Houlihan and her Dad Alan sighted the Arctic sea creature a long way from home, it now appears to have made its way down the British coast seemingly looking for food, before making another rest stop and ‘sunbathing’.
Muireann decided that the animal should be named Isabelle if it was a girl, and Cian if it was a boy – but experts are unsure of its gender.
Geoff Edmond, the RSPCA’s national wildlife coordinator, said after the second sighting: ‘This was a landmark day for the RSPCA’s wildlife team.
‘While we’ve been rescuing animals and responding to welfare calls for almost 200 years, I believe this is our first ever walrus call.’
The walrus appeared to have a few scrapes but seemed in generally good condition and was seen to be swimming well, the organisation said.
RSPCA animal rescue officer Ellie West added: ‘It seems this Arctic walrus has swum over to Wales and was resting on rocks when I went to check on him.
‘He was resting and, although appearing slightly underweight, thankfully he wasn’t displaying any signs of sickness or injury.
‘This is an incredibly rare sighting and these big, beautiful animals never usually venture so far south.
‘The juvenile walrus has likely travelled down this way in search of food.’
She continued: ‘I will certainly never forget this day, in fact it’s still sinking in that I’ve been monitoring a walrus on the Pembrokeshire coast, it’s been absolutely amazing.’
If a member of the public spots the walrus and has concerns about his welfare, they are asked to call the RSPCA’s emergency hotline on 0300 1234 999.
People have also been told to keep their distance and not approach the animal as it needs to rest and conserve energy.
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