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!”

The Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform has urged ‘walrus watchers’ along Ireland’s South Coast to “cop on” and observe Wally the walrus from a distance.

The Arctic walrus was first spotted in Ireland off the coast of Valentia Island in March. After voyaging to Wales and as far as northern France, he returned to Ireland’s shores earlier this month.

He’s since left what’s been described as a trail of destruction in his wake as he makes his way westwards along the Cork coast — sinking at least two boats as he searches for places to rest.

It prompted Seal Rescue Ireland to launch an appeal to procure materials for a ‘floating couch’ pontoon that’s ready to deploy wherever he shows up next.

The wildlife charity also appealed for curious walrus spotters to keep their distance from the animal, who is many thousands of kilometres from his usual waters and may be in distress.

In a statement today (Thursday 19 August), Minister Malcolm Noonan has echoed that warning. “While it’s understandable that many people are excited about the presence of a walrus on the Irish coast, we must remember that this is a wild animal and it should be respected,” he said.

“I’m appealing to everyone not to get close and only view it from a distance. This is for the animal’s sake, but also for your own, as there may be risks from a water safety perspective where large numbers of people are congregating on the water.

“Walruses are not a protected species under the Wildlife Act, it’s basically the same as a fox or rabbit under the law, so it’s up to people to cop on and have consideration for this poor wild animal, which is a long way from home. Leave it alone and if you must go and see it, use binoculars.”

Wally the Arctic walrus’ trail of destruction along the South Coast may be curbed by the provision of a ‘floating couch’ for the large marine mammal, as the Irish Examiner reports.

Following his return to Irish shores earlier this month after a lengthy excursion via Wales and northern France, Wally has made his way steadily westwards from Waterford into Cork.

Boats moored at harbours and marinas along the way have become his primary resting spots, but his sheer size — estimated at some 800kg — has meant he’s sunk at least two vessels and cost thousands of euros of damage.

Now, after an appeal for donations of equipment, Seal Rescue Ireland says it has secured a pontoon that resembles a floating couch — similar to one deployed for Wally off the Isles of Scilly earlier this summer.

And it’s ready to go upon any reports of Wally messing about in boats — in the hopes he’ll choose the way of the couch potato over the juvenile delinquent.

In the meantime, curious walrus-spotters have been urged to keep their distance — at least 100m — from the animal “as this is crucial to his survival and welfare”, the animal rescue charity says.

The Irish Examiner has more on the story HERE.

An Arctic walrus spotted far from home on the Kerry coast in March has returned to Ireland’s shores, this time in Waterford.

After moving on to the Welsh coast in late March, the marine mammal affectionately nicknamed Wally was subsequently tracked to Cornwall, La Rochelle in France and the Isles of Scilly.

Then this past Bank Holiday Monday (2 August), the walrus was discovered in Clonea, Co Waterford by Cormac Walsh, whose photos were confirmed by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG).

Wally the walrus caught napping on a RIB in Ardmore, Co Waterford on Tuesday 3 August | Credit: Charles Coughlan/IWDG

More recently Wally has been caught napping on a RIB moored in Ardmore, and it’s expected he will continue his journey west into East Cork in the coming days.

However, the IWDG sounds a note of caution for anyone hoping to catch a glimpse of Wally on his South Coast adventures.

“There is a serious side to this, as this amimal is a long way from home and we’ve no way of knowing whether it is stressed, and how it may react to stressful situations,” IWDG sightings officer Pádraig Whooley says.

“So we’d ask everyone who wants to see this rare Arctic visitor to respect its space, as it’s important that we come out the other end of this episode without injury to people or animal…even if we can’t guarantee he won’t sink a few boats!”

Tracking the walrus’ journey from Kerry to France and back to Ireland — a distance of around 2,000km | Credit: IWDG

An exhausted Arctic walrus spotted at Valentia Island last weekend is now apparently in Wales and recovered from its ordeal.

According to RTÉ News, marine wildlife conservation groups both here and in Wales are confident that the walrus sighted yesterday morning (Saturday 20 March) on the South Pembrokeshire coast is the same animal seen in West Kerry less than a week ago.

Arctic walruses are rarely spotted in Ireland, with only 11 confirmed records since 1897, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

And it’s believed that this particular animal may have fallen asleep on an iceberg in Greenland before being carried across the North Atlantic.

Some lucky passers-by were treated to the extraordinary sight of an Arctic walrus on rocks at Valentia Island in Co Kerry yesterday, Sunday 14 March.

Video of the marine wildlife — which resembles a large seal but for its obvious tusks — shows it in what appears to be an exhausted state, far from its usual haunts across the North Atlantic in Greenland, as RTÉ News reports.

It’s not the first time an Arctic walrus has been spotted in Irish waters.

A walrus was spotted ashore at Knightstown, Valentia Island, Co. Kerry today. This Artctic species is an infrequent visitor to Irish waters, with 11 records in our database, dating back to 1897. #ExploreYourShoreIRL at https://t.co/kRStl5Mk06 pic.twitter.com/xseQaZUC3a

— Biodiversity Ireland (@BioDataCentre) March 14, 2021

But the National Biodiversity Data Centre says there have been only 11 confirmed records in its database since 1897.

A walrus in west Cork in 1930... and one that was shot out near Dursey Island. https://t.co/wgtqYtGk7n

— Seán Mac an tSíthigh (@Buailtin) March 14, 2021