News / Walrus visits Skerries
A WALRUS famous for his southerly travels in Orkney and the Western Isles hauled up in the Skerries at the weekend.
So-called Wally the walrus was spotted among rocks in the Skerries on Sunday and is believed to be making his way north to his proper habitat in the Arctic, having been seen in the west of Scotland last month.
It is thought that the last time a walrus was seen in Shetland was back in 1986.
By Monday morning, however, it appeared that the walrus had indeed moved on from his Shetland resting spot.
It was first found by a group of three men who were fishing around Skerries.
Michael Waterhouse, who was part of the group, said: “Me and my friends Ivan Anderson and Jordan Palmer took a trip to Skerries for a weekend of creel fishing.
“We went to a beach called Brae Geo and at first thought it was a big rock. Then it started to make lively noises and when we noticed it we were metres away.”
Wildlife enthusiast Stephen Dunstan soon after came across the walrus and managed to spread the word on Facebook.
Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary had advised that people should give the potentially dangerous mammal a wide berth and give him a chance to rest and restore his energy before he continued his journey.
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