First Walrus Spotted in Orkney in 26 Years

Walruses are generally spotted in the south of the North Pole and Arctic Ocean. But a young male walrus has drifted for more than 2,000 miles from his home and settled himself on a small Scottish Island.

The young male walrus was spotted Sunday morning on the shoreline of North Ronaldsay in Orkney, reports BBC.

Discovered by Mark Warren, an assistant warden at the North Ronaldsay Bird Observatory (NRBO), this is the first arctic animal to be spotted in Orkney. It is a rare sight, an event that happens once in a lifetime, as this is the first arctic animal to be spotted for more than 26 years, reports Daily Record.  

"I was walking along the beach looking for birds, basically. At first I thought it was a dead whale so I threw a stone at it and it woke up. It does seem to be in OK health and certainly has plenty of battle scars which suggest it has been in a few scraps," Warren told the BBC Scotland news website.

According to Warren, this is the first time they have seen a walrus on the island; prior to this, they have seen seals and killer whales. It was based on the tusks that they assumed the walrus to be a small young one. 

The NRBO was established in 1987 to study and record the migrant birds that pass through Orkney's island every year. 

Reports according to BBC state that during the 19^th and 20^th century, the walrus population faced a great threat from humans as they were slaughtered for their ivory and meat.