Fears over safety of Wally the Walrus after his journey from the Arctic floes to Wales
Jet skiers and surfers have been warned to steer clear of a walrus which has made its home off the coast of Pembrokeshire.
The mammal, nicknamed Wally the Walrus by curious locals, is believed to have arrived from the Arctic on an ice floe, and was initially seen off County Kerry earlier this month, before he ended up on the Welsh coast.
It was first seen on rocks near Broad Haven South beach before heading to Tenby, where it has spent a few days on the RNLI slipway, with lifeboat crews keeping people away from him.
Now wildlife groups are urging sightseers to leave Wally in peace, after reports of jet skiers, surfers and paddle boarders "disturbing" him by getting too close.
The warning comes just two weeks after Freddie the seal had to be put down after being attacked by a dog near Hammersmith Bridge, in Barnes, south west London.
Rebecca Sabben-Clare QC, the owner of the dog that mauled Freddie, said she was left “heartbroken” when the seal pup had to be put down after suffering severe wounds during the attack.
Conservation groups in Pembrokeshire have urged people drawn to the area to "enjoy Wally from a distance".
In a statement the RSPCA, Welsh Marine Life Rescue, Tenby Lifeboat Service, British Divers Marine Life Rescue, and other conservation groups warned that visitors have been getting "too close".
They said: "We're really concerned to hear reports that some people have tried to get close to him by using jet skis or paddle and surf boards - this really isn't in his best interest and we urge people to act responsibly this weekend.”
The statement added: “We understand it's exciting and unusual to have the walrus take up a temporary residence in Tenby, and that over the bank holiday weekend many people may wish to visit the area in the hope of catching a glimpse of him. However, it's in his best interests to be left alone as much as possible, so we're asking people to remember he is a wild animal and avoid the temptation to get near to him and disturb him.”
Wally is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981, and anyone caught disturbing the animal may be committing a criminal offence.
The walrus was first spotted by five-year-old Muireann Houlihan off the coast of Valentina Island, County Kerry, on 15 March, before resurfacing on rocks on the Pembrokeshire coastline on 21 March.
Animal rescue officer Ellie West said: "It seems this Arctic walrus has swum over to Wales and was resting on rocks when I went to check."
She said the walrus was "resting" and "wasn't displaying any signs of sickness or injury", although did appear to be "slightly underweight".
Onlookers reported on Wednesday that Wally flipped a small rowboat as he tried to flop aboard before attempting to clamber on board a fishing boat moored in Tenby harbour.
Martyn Thomas, 36, said: "You could see the walrus by an overturned dinghy. Someone said that it flipped it over as it tried to get on. The next thing it was trying to get up to a fishing boat and had its flippers right up to the deck. It was like it wanted to get aboard."
