A rare guest on the North Sea coast: A walrus lady keeps visiting East Frisian islands. What is she doing there?
Wangerooge – A young walrus has been exploring the Wadden Sea in Lower Saxony for a week and is always resting on the East Frisian Islands.
Anyone who sees the female should immediately contact the national park administration or a ranger, the authority in Wilhelmshaven announced on Wednesday. In their opinion, the skin damage to the animal from the Arctic does not significantly affect its fitness. Therefore, there was no reason for an animal care or veterinary intervention, it said. It is important not to expose the walrus to unnecessary stress so that the healing process is not disturbed.
The female first appeared on Baltrum on September 7, it made stops on Spiekeroog and several times on Wangerooge – most recently on this Wednesday. According to the national park, the walrus is usually spotted at dawn, for example when it is resting in the sun. With the next flood, the animal then goes on the prowl again. It is an extremely rare guest. Previously, in January 1998, a walrus appeared in the Wadden Sea, first on Ameland (Netherlands), then on Juist and finally on Sylt.
Presumably the same walrus cow that is now traveling around the East Frisian Islands appeared on the Danish North Sea coast in mid-February. The website www.nationalpark-wattenmeer.de will now provide information about new sightings on an ongoing basis. dpa
