City in England cancels New Year fireworks to welcome rare Arctic walrus; videos go viral on social media

A city in the United Kingdom had to cancel New Year celebrations after a Walrus was found to have made a temporary stay ashore. The walrus, named Thor, appeared Friday in Scarborough and was "taking a break" before heading north, as per wildlife experts. The fireworks were called off “not to cause distress to the animal,” BBC reported. Council leader Steve Siddons expressed his disappointment with the development but said "the welfare of the walrus has to take precedence". The decision to axe the firework show was taken after the British Divers Marine Life Rescue’s advice. The walrus was seen heading back to the sea at 17:00 GMT Saturday.

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Walrus Thor attracts crowd in Scarborough

Crowds of people gathered to see the lounging walrus to witness the rare event. Stuart Ford, who runs the Sealife Safari boat tour agency, said, “I think it's a once-in-a-lifetime, first-time-ever thing in Scarborough to see." The Sea Life Scarborough aquarium requested people not to disturb the visiting walrus. They posted on social media, “Please be respectful of his rest and try not to disturb him. While it is a very exciting opportunity for us, naturally they do not like lots of noise and are not familiar with domestic animals so please keep pets on leads and remain a safe distance for your own welfare and his."

Has Thor disappeared now?

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), who has been monitoring the mammal all the while, said in a statement that the walrus was seen heading toward the sea at 17:00 GMT Saturday, and his current whereabouts are not known. Emily Mayman, from the BDMLR charity, said, “We've not had any more reports of his sighting pretty much since he went out of the harbor." She added that the surrounding area was being monitored in case Thor reappears.

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