Thor the walrus spotted on Iceland coast following visit to the UK

A walrus that visited England’s south and east coasts in December was spotted on a floating dock in eastern Iceland

To Carissa Wong

A wandering walrus nicknamed Thor has arrived in East Iceland after a recent visit to the UK.

The giant mammal was discovered on England’s south coast around mid-December after visiting the Netherlands and Dieppe in northern France last year. He was a sensation because walruses rarely visit Britain. He then traveled north to Scarborough, a town on the east coast of England, where the locals canceled New Year’s Eve fireworks so as not to distress him.

According to Iceland’s national broadcaster RUV, Thor arrived in the Icelandic fishing village of Blaðdalsvik on February 24 and turned his nose to frozen fish presented to him by port guards.

As in England, he caught the attention of locals who took pictures of him as they passed by. Walruses once lived around Iceland, but the region’s population was driven to extinction centuries ago.

Rod Downey of conservation charity WWF-UK told the BBC that although Thor is “amazing”, it should be left alone to rest so it doesn’t consume unnecessary energy.

The walrus is believed to be a 3- to 5-year-old adolescent Atlantic walrus that wandered south from the Canadian Arctic. He is now believed to be heading north to the cold waters, resting along the way. A fully grown male walrus can grow up to 2.4 meters in length and weigh up to 900 kilos.

“After Thor’s visit to the UK, we wondered if we would ever see him again,” a spokesperson for the conservation charity British Divers Marine Life Rescue told the BBC. We are delighted to hear that you are in Lando.”

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, climate change and overfishing mean that walruses are endangered. As the climate warms, the ice in the Arctic Ocean, where animals rest, breed and give birth, melts.