Moment walrus named Thor grunts at fisharman who got ‘a bit too close’
>
Thor’s wrath! Walrus moment named for the Norse god snarling at the fisherman who got “too close” while filming him relaxing on a British beach
- Thor the walrus growled at fisherman Darren Mckell and his family on Sunday.
- The trio seemed to get a little too close to Thor after finding him at Calshot Beach.
- Thor let out a loud ‘grunt’, warning the group to back off while he tried to rest.
The video shows the moment a walrus named Thor growled at a group of Brits who found him lying on a beach.
The group found Thor on Calshot Beach in Hampshire early Sunday morning. They were filming it as they got closer.
But it seems the trio got too close because the walrus let out a loud growl, forcing them to back off.
Despite the marine mammal apparently warning the group to leave it alone, angler Darren Mckell described seeing it as a “double-take moment.”
The video shows the moment a walrus named Thor growled at a group of Brits who found him lying on a beach.
Mckell was outside with his wife Caroline and their son Luke at around 6:50am Sunday when they saw the ‘big bulge’ near the Solent River.
The group, phone camera in hand, approached Thor as he rested near the water.
However, Thor was apparently threatened by the group and let out a loud growl when they got too close for comfort.
The trio seemed to take a step back, leaving Thor alone on the beach.
Crews from Calshot Station of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and Navy rescue advisers were called to the scene, who took action to keep Thor safe.
The walrus spent around six hours on the beach before continuing its journey towards the Arctic Circle, Hampshire And Iow News reported.
The visitors were said to have been “respectful and kept their distance” from Thor while he “rested”.
Mckell was outside with his wife Caroline and their son Luke at around 6:50am Sunday when they saw the ‘big bulge’ near the Solent River. However, Thor was apparently threatened by the group and let out a loud growl when they got too close for comfort.
Crews from Calshot Station of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and Navy rescue advisers were called to the scene, who took action to keep Thor safe. Members of the public are seen watching Thor as he rests.
Walruses tend to live in and around the arctic circle and rarely go that far south.
“It was amazing and a shock,” Mr. Mckell recalled after discovering Thor. “At first I thought it was a seal, but when I got closer I saw that it was huge and that it was a walrus.”
“It was absolutely amazing to see something like this, especially in these waters. I hadn’t realized how rare it was to see a walrus here.
‘It was lovely to watch, but something you would never expect. I have never seen a walrus in the wild as they don’t normally live in these areas.
“Seeing the walrus was a double moment.”
Thor was reportedly seen in the UK twice before Mr. Mckell found him on Calshot beach. The walrus is depicted taking a nap on the beach.
Prior to his adventures in Britain, Thor (pictured on the beach at Calshot) was spotted in the Netherlands on November 6 and had been traveling along the coast of France to Brittany in recent weeks.
Thor was seen in the UK twice before Mckell found him on the beach at Calshot, according to Hampshire And Iow News.
He was reportedly seen in Chichester Harbor on Saturday and in Dover on Wednesday.
Prior to his adventures in Britain, Thor was seen in the Netherlands on November 6 and had been traveling up the coast of France to Brittany in recent weeks.
Wildlife experts say walruses travel long distances and have rest stops to recuperate and regain energy before moving on.
Last year two walruses visited the UK: Wally, who came to South Wales and the Isles of Scilly, and Freya, who visited Northumberland and Shetland.