11th December 2022. Upon opening the station for the morning watch today, the watchkeepers at NCI Calshot Tower were surprised to see that a walrus had joined the fishermen on Calshot Beach. Soon crowds began to gather and the area was cordoned off by HM Coastguard and the British Divers Marine Life Rescue for the safety of the public and to minimise disturbance of the resting walrus.

While it is unusual for walrus to venture this far from the Arctic, they are known vagrants and will travel for many miles in search of food. The Calshot Walrus was identified by the BDMLR as “Thor”, a walrus known to have visited the Netherlands, Dieppe and Brittany in recent weeks. After spending the morning snoozing, Thor departed Calshot beach around mid-day