Northern Ireland

Arctic Walrus spotted in Co Kerry 'may have fallen asleep on iceberg which melted'

An Arctic Walrus was seen on Valentina Island in Co Kerry at the weekend. Image from Alan Houlihan/Irish Whale and Dolphin Group
An Arctic Walrus was seen on Valentina Island in Co Kerry at the weekend. Image from Alan Houlihan/Irish Whale and Dolphin Group An Arctic Walrus was seen on Valentina Island in Co Kerry at the weekend. Image from Alan Houlihan/Irish Whale and Dolphin Group

AN Arctic Walrus spotted in Co Kerry may have been asleep on an iceberg which melted off the Greenland Shelf.

The walrus was seen on Valentia Island at the weekend.

Alan Houlihan and his five-year-old daughter Muireann spotted the walrus while they were out walking.

However, Mr Houlihan said there was no sign of the animal thisy morning.

He said he and his daughter were thrilled by the first confirmed sighting of a walrus in Ireland.

"Myself and my daughter were out walking on the beach down near the lighthouse," he said.

"He breached out of the water onto the rocks and gave us a bit of a show.

"I thought it was a seal at first and then we saw the tusks. He kind of jumped up on the rocks. He was massive. He was about the size of a bull or a cow, pretty similar in size, he’s big, big."

The walrus is believed to be quite young.

Kevin Flannery of Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium said the walrus may have fallen "asleep on an iceberg and drifted off and then he was gone too far, out into the mid-Atlantic or somewhere like that down off Greenland possibly".

"He would be pretty tired and pretty hungry at this stage," he said.

"That is usually what happens to them is that they fall asleep on an iceberg and then get carried off from the Arctic."

He said the walrus must be left alone to recuperate.