Species | Walrus |
---|---|
Sex | Male |
Born | Circa 2019 |
Weight | 750 kg (1,653 lb; 118 st 1 lb) |
Named after | Thor |
Thor is the nickname of an Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) first spotted in the Netherlands, in November 2022. [1] [2] [3]
Thor is a male walrus at least three years old [4] and estimated to weigh around 0.75 tonnes. [3]
Thor was originally sighted on 6 November 2022, first in Petten, North Holland, then Neeltje Jans island, Zeeland, [5] and subsequently travelled along the north coast of France to Brittany. In December 2022, Thor was spotted at Calshot, Hampshire [1] and then in Scarborough harbour, North Yorkshire on New Year's Eve. [4] On 2 January 2023 Thor appeared in Blyth, Northumberland. [6]
On 24 February 2023 British Divers Marine Life Rescue reported that Thor had been seen in Iceland. [7]
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. [2]
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. [8] Scarborough Borough Council leader Steve Siddons said "the welfare of the walrus has to take precedence". [8]
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. [9]
The walrus 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 Odobenidae and genus Odobenus. This species is subdivided into two subspecies: the Atlantic walrus, which lives in the Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific walrus, which lives in the Pacific Ocean.
North Yorkshire is a ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber and North East regions of England. It borders County Durham to the north, the North Sea to the east, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the south-east, South Yorkshire to the south, West Yorkshire to the south-west, and Cumbria and Lancashire to the west. Northallerton is the county town.
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is on the Yorkshire Coast at the mouth of the River Esk. It has a maritime, mineral and tourist economy. The fishing port emerged during the Middle Ages, supporting important herring and whaling fleets, and was where Captain Cook learned seamanship and, coincidentally, where his first vessel to explore the southern ocean, HMS Endeavour, was built. Jet and alum were mined locally, and Whitby jet, which was mined by the Romans and Victorians, became fashionable during the 19th century.
Scarborough is a seaside town in the district and county of North Yorkshire, England. With a population of 61,749, Scarborough is the largest town on the Yorkshire Coast and the fourth-largest settlement in the county.
Langstone Harbour is a 2,085.4-hectare (5,153-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Hampshire. It is an inlet of the English Channel in Hampshire, sandwiched between Portsea Island to the south and west, Hayling Island to the south and east, and Langstone to the north. It is part of the Ramsar site of Langstone and Chichester Harbour Special Protection Area and Nature Conservation Review site. Parts are Special Areas of Conservation, or Local Nature Reserves, and some areas by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.
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British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) is a British charity established in 1988 and is a frontline marine mammal response organisation. It utilises a network of trained volunteers around the country to respond to marine mammals potentially in need of assistance via a public 24hr hotline and callout system. The organisation's main areas of operation are in the United Kingdom and its territorial waters; however, the charity has received requests from Canada, the Falkland Islands, Kenya, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Malta and Abu Dhabi.
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Royal Air Force Calshot or more simply RAF Calshot was initially a seaplane and flying boat station, and latterly a Royal Air Force marine craft maintenance and training unit. It was located at the end of Calshot Spit in Southampton Water, Hampshire, England, at grid reference SU487024. It was the main seaplane/flying boat development and training unit in the UK, with the landing area sheltered by the mainland, to the west, north and east, and the Isle of Wight, a few miles away to the south on the other side of the Solent, where seaplanes and flying boats were mass-produced by Saunders-Roe. It closed in 1961. Much of the former base has been preserved, with most of the site now being occupied by the RNLI.
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The New Year's Eve festivities in London, England, have regularly consisted of a midnight fireworks show. The focal point of the festivities are the South Bank, where the chimes of Big Ben at midnight signify the arrival of the new year, and pyrotechnics are launched from barges along the River Thames and from the London Eye observation wheel.
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Events of the year 2023 in England.
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