Wally the Arctic walrus looks to be on his way back to home waters after he was spotted in Iceland at the weekend.
Seal Rescue Ireland confirmed the sighting after examining photos with British Divers Marine Life Rescue, who had tracked Wally’s whereabouts in the UK during his spring and summer jaunt from Wales to Cornwall.
This was after the walrus was spotted many hundreds of kilometres from his Arctic home on the Kerry coast back in March.
More recently, Wally had returned to Irish waters following an excursion that took him as far as northern France.
The hefty marine wildlife, estimated to weigh some 800kg, left a trail of destruction in his wake as he accidentally caused damage to boats he sought out as resting spots — prompting a campaign by Seal Rescue Ireland to procure a ‘floating couch’ pontoon for the likely exhausted animal.
Wally was last seen at the end of August, and after more than three weeks with no confirmed sightings, Seal Rescue Ireland said: “We were starting to lose hope of ever seeing the young, wandering walrus again.”
However, Monday (20 September) brought news that a walrus matching Wally’s description was sighted the previous day in Iceland — more than 900km from his last known location in West Cork.
“We are absolutely over the moon that he's not only still alive and well, but he is well on his way home to the Arctic,” the animal rescue charity added.
“He was seen swimming back out to sea last night [Sunday] — and even managed to avoid sinking any boats while he was there!”
Seal Rescue Ireland also expressed their gratitude to members of the public “who have shown support and love for this walrus by giving him a safe place to rest and gather his strength while visiting our shores ahead of this magnificent journey.
“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. Please always remember to give wildlife space, and put their safety and welfare first!”
