Skip to main content
Home

Main navigation

  • Top stories
  • Health
  • Crime
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Tech
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Weird
  • 1-1-2
Image
Walrus
Walrus - Credit: snowserge / DepositPhotos - License: DepositPhotos
Nature
Schiermonnikoog
walrus
Wageningen University & Research
Ralf van Hal
Ecomare
Tuesday, 21 September 2021 - 21:05
Share this:
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
  • reddit

Walrus spotted near Schiermonnikoog; First in NL in 23 years

A walrus was spotted on the beach of Schiermonnikoog on Monday, the first sighting of one of these massive marine mammals in the Netherlands since 1998. Seal sanctuary Ecomare called the sighting "very exceptional", NU.nl reports.

The walrus was spotted by Ralf van Hal, a researcher at Wageningen University. He saw the animal lying on a sandbank where seals often sunbathe. A walrus was also recently spotted in Germany and Denmark. It is believed to be the same animal.

An adult walrus weighs between 1,000 and 1,500 kilograms. They are native to the Arctic, and normally never leave the area. The one spotted on Schiermonnikoog is therefore a wanderer - an animal that is very far outside its habitat, a spokesperson for Ecomare said to NU.nl.

The animal seems to be uninjured, and Ecomare therefore will not intervene. "If she came here, she can also go back. And here she can also catch fish," the spokesperson said. It is also very difficult to catch an adult walrus, the spokesperson added. "They are very big."

We zijn wel wat gewend bij @waarneming maar dit blijft erg spectaculair voor Nederland! Een vrouwtje walrus op het strand van #Schiermonnikoog. De laatste Nederlandse waarneming stamt uit 1998 (Ameland). Houd afstand!

Foto: Ralf van Hal@NOS @RTLnieuws @trouw @nrc @volkskrant pic.twitter.com/82McRRJjpv

— Waarneming.nl (@waarneming) September 20, 2021

Follow us:

Latest stories

  • Brother turns on brother in appeal on teen girl's murder
  • Healthcare costs €8.8 billion higher last year due to Covid
  • Two new liquefied natural gas contracts to guarantee supply amid Russia uncertainty
  • Traffic nightmare coming to Amsterdam: A10 Zuid closed for 11 days
  • Court reopens De Vries murder trial after new details surface
  • Too few public toilets in NL; Only a third of municipalities doing something

Top stories

  • Half of local, regional politicians face aggression
  • 19 arrested at farmers' distribution center blockade
  • Schiphol employees worried about workload, safety: trade union
  • Three farmers arrested for attempted manslaughter; Police warn against publicly doxxing officers
  • One-year anniversary of Peter R. de Vries shooting
  • Big cities to push Dutch population growth in coming years

© 2012-2022, NL Times, All rights reserved.

Footer menu

  • Privacy
  • Contact
  • Partner content