‘Give it a wide berth’: People urged not to disturb walrus resting on Hampshire beach

People are being urged to give a walrus a “very wide berth” after it hauled up on a Hampshire beach overnight.

The walrus, known as Thor, is currently being monitored by volunteers from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) charity after it arrived in the village of Calshot.

Thor was first sighted in the Netherlands on 6 November and has been travelling along the coast of France as far as Brittany over the past few weeks.

The BDMLR is unsure whether the blubbery wanderer is male or female.

The charity said: “Key advice is being issued to everyone to give the walrus a very wide berth to avoid disturbing it.

“Walrus travel long distances and have rest stops to recover and regain energy before moving on again. Every time it is disturbed by people being too close or noisy will impact its chance of survival.

“Walruses are protected from disturbance under UK law.”

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Thor’s arrival in Hampshire comes after two of the animals visited the UK in 2021 – Wally, who came to south Wales and the Isles of Scilly, and Freya, who visited Northumberland and Shetland.

At one stage Wally was seen relaxing on a boat off the coast of Cork in Ireland.

Meanwhile Freya was put down after returning to Norway, after authorities deemed her to be a danger to the public.