Walrus spotted in Wales days after being seen in Ireland

Creature ‘slightly underweight’ but otherwise doing fine

(My Pembrokeshire/Emma Ryan)

A walrus has been spotted in Wales after being seen in Ireland.

The Arctic animal, which was seen on rocks near Broad Haven South beach, in Pembrokeshire, on Friday, is thought to be the same one seen off the coast of County Kerry the week before.

Officials have warned anyone who spots it in their area to respect the “sensitive species”.

“The tired, young Walrus last spotted on Valentia Island, County Kerry, last Sunday has been spotted in Wales!” Sea Rescue Ireland said.

“The walrus has since gone back out to sea and is undoubtedly tired after another long journey, so if you spot it in your area, please remember that this is a sensitive species and to avoid disturbance.”

Cleopatra Browne of Welsh Marine Life Rescue told the BBC she was called to the scene where the walrus was “chilling”.

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“It was about the size of a cow,” said Ms Browne, of St Davids, Pembrokeshire. “It was a whopper. I’ve seen them on telly and the news but it was huge.”

She added it looked “underweight” probably because it had “just swam miles across the ocean.”

The walrus is thought to be young because its tusks are “about 3in long”, according to Ms Browne, who said the animal may have fallen “asleep on an iceberg and ended up drifting across and woke up in Ireland”.

RSPCA animal rescue officer Ellie West, who checked the animal, told reporters on Sunday the creature was resting and did not display any signs of sickness or injury.

“This is an incredibly rare sighting and these big, beautiful animals never usually venture so far south. We believe this may be a juvenile who has travelled down this way in search of food,” she said.

In a statement, Seal Rescue instructed people to keep their dogs on a lead and “observe quietly from at least 300m away”.

“Reporting sightings like this is extremely important for research and protection, so if you see a rare species, please be sure to notify the closest marine mammal rescue centre to you,” the charity said.

“This fragile yet resilient animal being pushed to explore a new habitat due to a changing climate should serve as great motivation for us all to take action on the climate crisis.”