On Tuesday, the visit of a walrus to the North Sea island of Baltrum caused a sensation. Now the Arctic inhabitant has stopped on another East Frisian island.
[Spiekeroog -] The recently sighted walrus lady continues to explore the Lower Saxony Wadden Sea. After visiting Baltrum on Tuesday, the massive animal rested on Friday on the quay wall in the port of the island of Spiekeroog, about 22 kilometers from Baltrum.
Walruses are actually Arctic inhabitants. A private photographer had drawn attention to the animal visitor on Facebook. “There are many onlookers, including day tourists, on site,” said a spokesman for the Spiekeroog island administration on Friday.
On Facebook, some users criticized the onlookers and wrote that the animal needed help. According to the assessment of the marine mammal expert Ursula Siebert from the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, a walrus can stay in the southern North Sea for a relatively long time without any disadvantages. The professor said that the prerequisite was that it had enough food. Walruses mainly eat mussels but also worms, snails, fish and crabs. The animal did have skin abrasions on its fins, but so far it has not had any adverse effects on health.
Walruses actually live around the North Pole. Compared to the harbor seals and gray seals native to the North Sea, they are larger, heavier and have tusks. The female, who is currently traveling around the East Frisian Islands, was probably traveling in Denmark before. According to the Norddeich seal station, the last walrus in Germany was sighted on Juist and Sylt in 1988. [dpa]
