Thor the walrus: Arctic animal reappears in Iceland after leaving the UK
- Published
Thor is known to have visited a number of countries including the Netherlands, France and the UK in recent months
A walrus which was spotted travelling along the coast of England during recent weeks has now been found in Iceland!
Thor first appeared in UK waters two months ago in Hampshire, before swimming to North Yorkshire and then onto Northumberland, where he was last seen in January.
However, on Friday the giant mammal finally reappeared in Breiðdalsvík, on the east coast of Iceland.
Experts from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue said they could confirm from markings that it was definitely Thor!
What happened?
WATCH: Thor the Arctic walrus was filmed re-entering the sea in Scarborough last month
Thor is known to have visited the Netherlands and France last year before coming to England, although it's thought he could have travelled from as far as the Canadian Arctic.
He was first seen in the UK at Calshot beach on the Hampshire coastline in December 2022.
At the time, experts at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said his arrival in the UK was "extremely rare" and that he was likely to be making his way back to Arctic waters.
He then swam up along the east coast and spent New Year in the North Yorkshire seaside resort of Scarborough, where his visit drew large crowds.
A New Year's Eve fireworks display in the town was cancelled to protect the Arctic animal.
Thor then headed 70 miles further up the coast to Blyth in Northumberland where he was last seen in the UK last month.
The male walrus was given the name Thor and is believed to be aged between three and five years old
The organisation British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDLMR) said: "After Thor's visit to the UK we wondered if we would ever see him again.
"We are delighted to have been informed that he is in Iceland," they added.
Thor was reported as having arrived in Breiðdalsvík on Friday, which is located about 850 miles from Blyth, and was photographed on a pontoon.
BDLMR said it was able to identify Thor as they could match the pale patches on the animal's foreflippers with pictures taken in Scarborough.
