Whether you’re a human, a panda, or any otheranimal, we all have to go through some journeys in our lives. But while we mostly do that on purpose, with a specific goal or destination in mind, on some rather comedic occasions, this happens quite unintentionally.
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Walruses are known to be great swimmers, but not many of them ever choose to make a journey to the coasts of Western Europe
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Wally the walrus was theorized to have fallen asleep on an iceberg that floated away from the Arctic all the way to Ireland
Walruses are magnificent creatures. Their sheer size and huge tusks are quick to capture the eyes of everyone, wherever they might meet them. But with these animals mostly living in theArctic, it’s extremely surprising to find one in, say, the coasts of Western Europe.
Theorized to have fallen asleep on an iceberg that drifted to Ireland, Wally the walrus happened to become a protagonist of just this kind of story and quickly became the center of attention for both the locals and folks online.
Image credits:Rafe Ward / SWNS
Most people who saw Wally were quick to fall in love with him. Some sympathized with the walrus so much that he became their source of inspiration, resulting in a painting and a children’s book.
However, not all of that attention was happy or pleasant. As he made his journey through the west coasts of Europe, Wally eventually became tired and started looking for resting spots to regain his strength.
Image credits:Steve Sherris / SWNS
Image credits:Sharron Taylor
But with his iceberg melted, Wally soon started looking for places to rest on, which mostly happened to be local boats, many of which he damaged or sunk
Fortunately for him, on the coasts of the Isles of Scilly, there were plenty of structures like that. Unfortunately for some of the locals, Wally weighed roughly 1800 pounds at the time, and most of those structures turned out to be their boats, many of which the animal ended up damaging or even sinking.
Luckily, the people there were mostly peaceful and, more importantly, helpful. Soon after these incidents started happening, British Divers Marine Life Rescue delivered a specifically made floating pontoon for the walrus to rest on.
According toDailyMail, Seal Rescue Ireland even issued an official warning, informing the people about the situation and their plans to help Wally, as well as asking them to stay away from him as much as possible to keep the walrus safe and reduce any possible future property damage.
Image credits:Rachel Box / SWNS
Luckily, British Divers Marine Life Rescue crafted him a special raft, which allowed him to regain his strength and return back north
Wally drifted on his personal couch for a little while, and once he left the area, all rested and rejuvenated, Seal Rescue Ireland also made sure to equip him with a special float to help him on his journey back north. A few weeks later, he was already spotted in Iceland, making it a happy ending for the story of this beloved walrus.
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Image credits:Lizzi Larbalestier / SWNS
Marine Biologist JC Dombrowski explained that while walruses are exceptional swimmers and navigators, such stories are extremely rare, and the iceberg theory is unlikely
While stories like this do happen from time to time, Marine BiologistJC Dombrowski, whoBored Pandareached out to for an interview, explained that they are extremely rare. “Although these animals are capable of swimming up to 21 mph, diving up to 90 meters, and holding their breath for thirty minutes, venturing outside of their actual habitat range is what’s unusual.”
The expert added that while walruses can migrate more than 1800 miles, they usually do that within polar regions. At the same time, to move an iceberg that far out of where it’s supposed to be, let alone have a walrus sleeping on it through the entire trip, would require unique tidal patterns and currents, which makes the situation even more unlikely and suggests that Wally’s journey to Western Europe might’ve been different than initially theorized.
The marine biologist explained that most animals find adapting to such extreme climate changes extremely difficult. Fortunately, larger sea and ocean dwellers are able to survive for quite a bit longer than their smaller counterparts and, thanks to their exceptional navigation tools, have a higher chance of finding their way home.
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Marine Conservationist Carissa Cabrera added that walruses are keystone species, and their survival is essential, so Wally’s story truly is good news
It might not be apparent to most, but the survival of walruses is a much bigger deal than it may appear. Pitching in her own expertise on the topic, Marine ConservationistCarissa Cabreraexplained that similarly to coral reefs and sea otters, these animals are one of the keystone species “that shape and ultimately define the ecological structure of their habitat.”
Maintaining a healthy ecosystem is essential, and walruses are one of the crucial keys to it, on which many other species rely. “Walruses forage on the bottom floor, and that involves sifting through the sediment all day to find their food. That churning of sediment redistributes nutrients across the water column, making it available to other species to access.”
JC added that despite their cuddly and adorable appearance, walruses are actually top predators in the Arctic food chain. But while they tend to feed on many of the bottom-dwelling organisms, they also “help feed other organisms at the bottom of the food chain because when they dig for food, they stir up nutritional sediment and microorganisms, providing new food sources for animals at every tropic level.”
Image credits:Seal Rescue Ireland / SWNS
But despite their importance to the ecosystem, walruses are simply magnificent creatures. For example, as Carissa explained, their tusks are like multifunctional tools that they use for many tasks, like breaking ice and fighting other males.
Continuing with this fascinating list, JC also shared that Wally and his relatives can control their blood vessels to help them adapt to different temperatures, which can result in them looking more pinkish or pale. They also “have air sacs in their throats called ‘pharyngeal pouches’ that can hold up to 13 gallons of air and inflate like pillows.”
Image credits:Tomáš Malík (not the actual photo)
In the end, Wally and the rest of his species are nothing short of spectacular, and there are many reasons why. But even with all that, not many of the walruses could boast about having traveled to Western Europe and having come back to tell the tale. So I don’t know about you, but knowing all this, I think that his feat definitely deserves a painting, a book, and then some!
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