Walrus in the Hebrides
© Lorn MacRae
A walrus has been spotted in the hebrides, hauled out on Cairn na Burgh Beag - a small island which forms part of the Treshnish Isles, off the NW coast of the Isle of Mull. Local creel fisherman, Lorn MacRae, spotted the massive creature basking on the shore in the winter sun.
Lorn reported his incredible sighting to the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT), after encountering the animal on Monday 27 February. HWDT have been collecting sightings reports off Scotland’s west coast for over 25 years, and this is the first report of a walrus in HWDT’s database so this is a significant record for the region.
“It was a surprise to see the walrus hauled out, the Atlantic grey seals seemed to be giving it a wide berth.”
© Lorn MacRae
Walruses are rare visitors to Scottish shores, although in recent years there have been several reports of these huge marine mammals in UK waters. Over the festive period, a large male - known as Thor - had been spotted in Yorkshire, prior to that he had been reported in the Netherlands and off France. However, Thor was recorded in Iceland on Friday 24 February, so if this is him, he’s made an unbelievable journey!
Thor has distinctive markings on his flippers, so HWDT are asking anyone who may encounter the walrus to report it on Whale Track and send in photos. Reporting sightings of this walrus through Whale Track will allow HWDT to monitor the movement and health of the animal and add to the understanding of marine life off Scotland’s coasts.
“Reporting through Whale Track provides us with vital data on the species in our seas, helping monitor the different species. Through Photo-ID, we can find out more about the animals life, monitoring its movements and health. We don’t have walrus as a specific species in Whale Track as it is such a rare sighting, however people can report it using the category ‘other’ and put the species in the comments section.”
While this is an exciting sighting, welfare concerns have been raised when walruses have hauled out in more populated areas. It is important to maintain a safe and respectful distance (<100m), not to hang about too long (15 mins max) and limit numbers (the saying three’s a crowd is applicable when watching marine wildlife).
HWDT shared the sighting of the walrus with our conservation partners, the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR). BDMLR’s mission is to aid marine mammals and other species in need of help, through the training of specialist volunteer Marine Mammal Medics. BDMLR provides their volunteer network with the basic knowledge, skills and expertise to respond to a callout and act on behalf of that animal’s best welfare interests.
“We ask that everyone behaves sensibly and responsibly in response to the news of another Walrus in the area, and we advise giving the animal a very wide berth to avoid disturbing it. Walruses travel long distances and have rest stops to recover and regain energy before moving on again, and being disturbed by people being too close or noisy will impact its chance of survival. If you are concerned about the animal’s welfare please contact BDMLR on 01825 765546 (option 1)”
It is not clear why there have been increased reports in recent years of walrus in more southern latitudes, only with long-term monitoring can we determine whether this is a trend or an anomaly. If you spot a walrus, or whale, dolphin, porpoise or basking shark in Scottish seas, HWDT would be delighted to hear about it. Join the Whale Track community, report what you’ve spotted and help deepen the understanding of the species found in our waters and the threats they face.