Thor is the nickname of a

vagrant Vagrancy is the condition of wandering homelessness without regular employment or income. Vagrants usually live in poverty and support themselves by travelling while engaging in begging, scavenging, or petty theft. In Western countries, ...

Atlantic

walrus The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large pinniped marine mammal with discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. It is the only extant species in the family Odobeni ...

(''Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus'') first seen in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, in November 2022. Thor is a male walrus probably about eight years old at the end of 2022, and estimated to weigh around 0.75 tonnes. Thor was originally sighted on 6 November 2022, first in

Petten Petten is a village in the Netherlands, Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Schagen, and lies about 15 km northwest of Alkmaar, on the North Sea. The population is ca. 1900. Petten's economy is based on agricu ...

North Holland North Holland (, ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht (province), Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevola ...

, then Neeltje Jans island,

Zeeland Zeeland (; ), historically known in English by the Endonym and exonym, exonym Zealand, is the westernmost and least populous province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the southwest of the country, borders North Brabant to the east ...

, and subsequently travelled along the north coast of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

. In December 2022, Thor was spotted at

Calshot Calshot is a coastal village in Hampshire, England, at the west corner of Southampton Water where it joins the Solent.OS Explorer Map, New Forest, Scale: 1:25 000.Publisher: Ordnance Survey B4 edition (2013). History In 1539, Henry VIII ord ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

and then in

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

harbour,

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...

. While in Scarborough, Thor was seen masturbating, showing he had reached sexual maturity, which in walrus is typically at age 8–10 years. On 2 January 2023 Thor appeared in

Blyth, Northumberland Blyth () is a port town, port and seaside town as well as a civil parish in southeast Northumberland, England. It lies on the coast, to the south of the River Blyth, Northumberland, River Blyth. It has a population of 39,731 as of the 2021 cens ...

, resting for several hours before moving on overnight. On 24 February 2023 British Divers Marine Life Rescue reported that Thor had been seen in Iceland.

Response

Whilst Thor was in Calshot, the British Divers Marine Life Rescue issued warnings to the public to not get too close to the walrus and kept a cordon up to allow him to rest. Thor again appeared on New Year's Eve 2022 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. British Divers Marine Life Rescue maintained a cordon through the night and the daytime until 4.20pm when he departed. Scarborough's New Year fireworks were cancelled after concerns arose after Marine Mammal Medics witnessed him becoming stressed at flashing lights from vehicles. Scarborough Borough Council leader Steve Siddons said "the welfare of the walrus has to take precedence". Thor's masturbatory behaviour in front of a large crowd of spectators was videoed, which went viral, with over 4 million views by 3 January 2023. Em Mayman, Yorkshire & Lincolnshire Assistant Coordinator for British Divers Marine Life Rescue praised the decision made to cancel the fireworks as a big step forward for animal welfare.

References

{{Reflist Blyth, Northumberland Brittany Hampshire Individual animals in England Individual animals in France Individual animals in the Netherlands Scarborough, North Yorkshire Wayward walruses Individual walruses