The animal, which is typically seen in Greenland, Russia, or Alaska, was initially spotted near the Normandy port of Dieppe on Friday evening but has not been seen since Saturday morning when it dove into the water.
A walrus has been discovered in northern France, thousands of kilometers away from its Arctic circle habitat.
The water creature, which is often found in Greenland, Russia, or Alaska, was spotted in the Normandy town of Dieppe on Friday evening.
Officials from the Normandy region tweeted a photo of the animal relaxing on land, and it appeared to be in good health.
The officials erected a safety cordon around the walrus, which was seen by the port captain, and issued a warning not to approach or disturb the animal.
Saturday morning at 10.30 local time, it dove into the water and has not been seen since.
The Prefecture of Normandy and Seine-Maritime stated, “A walrus was sighted at the Dieppe port entrance on the evening of November 18 by the port captain.
“A safety perimeter was established up… “A notification was issued to navigation users prohibiting any engagement with or disturbance of the mammal until its departure.”
Typically, walruses leave the water to recuperate before returning.
However, the creatures have a poor vision outside of the water and can turn hostile and lethal when alarmed.
This morning, researchers from the PELAGIS observatory, a marine biodiversity research center, continued to observe the animal.
A walrus was seen on tape in the Zeeland region of the Netherlands for the first time in 45 years, marking the second time a walrus has surfaced in Europe this week.
It has not been established whether the animal spotted in Dieppe is the same as the one previously spotted.
In March of last year, a second young walrus was spotted along the Pembrokeshire shore in Wales.
It is believed to be the same creature that washed ashore on Valentia Island in western Ireland, where it was presumably hunting for food.
It is believed that this is the first time the RSPCA has been asked to check on a walrus since the organization was founded more than a century ago.
In August of this year, the River Seine became home to a beluga whale who refused to eat and was “dangerously skinny.”
Despite an exceptional rescue effort, the animal was euthanized by the authorities.
A baby minke whale was euthanized three months earlier after becoming “very distressed” while stranded in the River Thames.
