sea creatures
Another walrus sighted on Latvia’s Baltic Sea coast
A walrus lies on a beach on Rügen (June). Photo: Enrico Spiering/German Maritime Museum/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
A walrus on the Baltic coast: The marine mammal has been sighted in Latvia. The animal was injured but didn’t need human help, a zoologist said.
In Latvia, a walrus has been sighted on the Baltic Sea coast for the second time within a week. The marine mammal was spotted on a beach in Slitere National Park on Thursday. This was announced by the national park on Facebook along with photos of the walrus.
The animal, which is around two meters long, was discovered and photographed by passers-by in the Baltic EU country on Monday on the beach near the port city of Liepaja.
In Slitere, the walrus was inspected by the Latvian Nature Conservation Authority. According to zoologist Vilnis Skuja, the animal is injured and obviously malnourished. But it is not helpless and does not need human help, the statement from the national park said. The best help for the walrus is therefore not to approach it, not to drive it back into the sea, but to let it rest undisturbed on the beach.
Also on Rügen and in Poland, a walrus caused a stir about three weeks ago, which swam away again after a short break on the beach. According to the Latvian Nature Conservation Agency, they may be the same animal. Walruses are rare guests in the Baltic Sea – they are mostly native to the polar areas of the Atlantic and Pacific.