'Massive' walrus spotted by fisherman at Treshnish Isles near Isle of Mull in Inner Hebrides

A ‘massive’ walrus has been spotted sunbathing near the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides.

Creel fisherman Lorn MacRae spotted the animal on Monday as it appeared to be soaking up the winter sun while lying on rocks at the Treshnish Isles.

The Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT), which has been monitoring wildlife off Scotland’s west coast for more than two decades, described the mammal as “massive”.

The charity said it’s the first time a walrus has been recorded on its database.

The HWDT said the sighting had been shared with the British Divers Marine Life Rescue conservation group, which has advised people to “behave sensibly and responsibly in response to news of another walrus in our seas”.

Walruses have been spotted near Scotland before. In 2021, a young female named Freya was seen in Shetland while another was seen around Orkney, the Western Isles and the Highland coast in 2018.

The 2018 sighting is thought to be the first time a walrus was spotted near the Scottish mainland since 1954.

It also follows sightings of the walrus nicknamed Thor, which has drawn crowds in England after sightings off the country’s southern and eastern coasts.

The animal was first spotted in Hampshire in December and then in Scarborough in the new year before making its way to Blyth, Northumberland.

It has now been reported to be in Breiddalsvik, Iceland – some 850 miles from its last known UK location.