Walrus found on Petten beach | Inland

Seal guards from the center kept an eye on the animal during the night from Saturday to Sunday. It appears to be a young adult male in good condition. “As long as he is left alone, he will be fine,” said a spokesman for the center.

Last summer, a walrus also visited Dutch waters, a female called Freya. She then used, among other things, a Dutch submarine of the Walrus class to rest. Freya roamed the Wadden Sea for months at the time and eventually ended up in Norway.

In Oslo, the animal weighing more than 600 kilos became a summer attraction, and was permanently attacked by curious people, who, according to the authorities, were at risk. The predator climbed into a fjord near Oslo on boats. Freya herself would have experienced the interest as stressful. All options were carefully examined, but because the animal’s welfare could not be guaranteed, she was euthanized by the authorities.

According to the Seal Center it is not clear why walruses have moved further south in recent years. “During the same period that Freya swam in the Wadden Sea, a walrus also visited the Irish and Scottish waters. This animal even attached a trip to Spain and back,” the center said.

The center concludes that it may become a more common sight on our coasts. The center considers it unlikely that it will accommodate these animals. In the past, the Seal Center once attempted to rescue a walrus. “But that turned out to be impossible with an animal weighing hundreds of kilos.” However, the center can arrange for experts to observe the animal and therefore it is desirable to report if such an animal shows up somewhere here.