Not only that, but Wally’s escapades could prevent “emergency response vessels from being immediately operational or cause serious injury or worse if he capsizes a boat with people on board,” said British Divers Marine Life Rescue in a statement to the BBC. “I don’t think visitors realize that the islanders spend a lot of money on their boats, some up to tens of thousands of pounds.” “That walrus needs to go,” posted one beleaguered boat owner on social media. Wally has damaged and even capsized several boats by sunbathing on top of them with his 2,000-pound frame. The vessels that don’t get capsized are often rendered useless for days afterward, which is costing boat owners time and money. Indeed, the 4-year-old walrus - who is thought to have inadvertently immigrated to Western Europe on an iceberg - is reportedly sinking smaller boats by lounging on top of them for days with his 2,000-pound frame. “He is causing a fair amount of mayhem and the novelty of having him around might be wearing thin.” “We are getting quite a few people asking us why Wally can’t be taken home,” Blue Planet Society’s John Hourston told the Metro of the marine mammal’s destructive stopover. However, it now appears as if the Arctic asylum-seeker has overstayed his welcome: Wildlife authorities are attempting to deport the behemoth sea beast for destroying boats in Cornwall’s Scilly Islands, where he resides. Wally the walrus captivated the globe this past spring after becoming the first of his kind to visit the shores of Ireland and the southern UK. Sea lion stuns as it swims up and hugs diverīear mauls, tries to drag away 10-year-old boy in Connecticut backyard Top Twitch streamer getting ‘legal and emotional’ help after alleged abuse by her husband The walrus, normally found in Arctic seas, has travelled an estimated 4,000km along the coast of western Europe over the past four months.Įxperts don’t know why he arrived off Valentia in March but say factors could include climate change.Enough is enough! Snake on plane sends passengers screaming at Newark airport She also appealed to recreational and ecotour boat operators to stay between 100-500m away from the animal. Ms Croce appealed to people to report any sightings of him to SRI's 24/7 hotline at 0 and to not share the location publicly until a designated haul-out site for him is established. Wally is expected to continue cruising north, along Kerry and then up the western seaboard. “We only step in when human interactions with him threaten to disturb him. “We would like to be able to let him to continue his natural behaviours but when word gets out about his location, a situation arises where we have to intervene. “But things have gone quiet over the weekend so we think he's 'flying below the radar', which is good, for now. Our aims are to provide somewhere for the walrus to rest, to effectively monitor him, to protect him from disturbance, and to prevent damage to property. "We are getting assistance from BDMLR and we are working with Orca Ireland and the West Cork Animal Welfare Group. “We have never done this before so there are lots of learnings as we go," Ms Croce said. SRI’s response will depend on where and when Wally is next sighted, she said. Those towels have now been used to scent the pontoon in the hope of encouraging Wally to use it when or if it is deployed.Īnd while this potential response would require close liaison with the Coast Guard, local authorities, wildlife, marine or port authorities, Ms Croce said they have also secured the use of a disused rib, which is more easily transported and installed. It is ready to be deployed quickly if there are more sightings of Wally in busy harbour areas over the coming days.Ī boat owner who lost his vessel to Wally last week used towels to gather the animal’s scent before the boat sank. Ms Croce said SRI has now secured a sturdy pontoon, with three raised sides, which looks like a floating couch. #WALLY THE WALRUS INSTALL#SRI executive director Melanie Croce said they have also been liaising with British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) in the UK, who helped install a floating pontoon for Wally during his six-week stint in the Isles of Scilly in July, on how best to respond. Picture: British Divers Marine Life Rescue A similar pontoon is ready to be deployed here following recent sightings of Wally of West Cork. Wally resting on the floating pontoon in St Mary's Harbour in the Isles of Scilly. His penchant for lounging on boats prompted an appeal from Seal Rescue Ireland (SRI) for the donation of an unused rib or a large pontoon that could be used as a designated haul-out site for him to rest. Walruses, like seals and sea lions, are pinnipeds, or semi-aquatic, which means they must come up on land or onto a floating object to rest.
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