Wally the Walrus
My family and I were out walking the dog at Broadhaven South one misty morning in 2021 and saw something on the rocks that looked like a seal. As we got a bit closer it became obvious it was not a seal - it was brown in colour and the size of a small cow. Then we saw the tusks! I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was a walrus!
We put the dog on the leash so he wouldn't disturb it and walked away to give it some space. I called the wildlife rescue guys. It took me three calls to convince them I was not a hoaxer!
Eventually they came, along with photographers and other interested people and then Wally became a superstar for a few months, travelling around the coast of Wales, from Broadhaven South to Tenby, to Saundersfoot then to Cornwall. After that I heard he was spotted in France and even Spain.
There were all kinds of theories about why he was found in UK waters when he should have been up in the arctic. One was he fell asleep on an iceberg that drifted south and melted. Personally, after observing him for a long time and seeing how completely relaxed he was, I think he just wanted to explore and swam down to take advantage of the UK's abundant ocean food source.
I often wonder where Wally is now. Greenland probably. And also, what I would have done that day had I seen him while swimming, instead of on a rock! You get used to swimming with seals in Pembrokeshire, but Wally was huge. I would probably have given Michael Phelps a run for his money!
