A walrus has been spotted in the Netherlands for the first time in 23 years

On Monday 20 september, a female walrus was spotted on Simonszand, a small sandbank between the Dutch wadden islands Schiermonnikoog and Rottumerplaat. According to seal centre Pieterburen she is in good condition. She does have some superficial wounds on the front flippers. This is probably from the sharp mussel beds. The last time a walrus was spotted in the Netherlands was in January 1998, on the wadden island Ameland. She is only the eleventh walrus that has been spotted in the Netherlands ever! An overview of where the walrus has been:

20 September: After staying for weeks along the coast of Denmark and Germany, the female walrus enters the Netherlands on 20 September. Lost walrus stops at sandbank off Schiermonnikoog - DutchNews.nl

23 September: She has returned to Germany for a while, here she is seen on the German wadden island Borkum.

26 September: The walrus is back in the Netherlands, this time she is seen near the harbour of the wadden island Schiermonnikoog. At the end of the morning, she left the harbour.

30 September: In the early morning, she is seen in the harbour of Harlingen. This is the first time she is seen on the mainland. After a whole day of resting on the pier, she swims away towards the North at the end of the afternoon. Experts hope that she will leave for the North Pole again. Moving on: Lost walrus is now spotted basking on pier at Harlingen - DutchNews.nl

3 October: From a great distance, she is seen on the Engelse hoek, a sandbank between the islands Vlieland and Terschelling.

5-6 October: In the evening of 5 October, she returns to the harbour of Harlingen. The next day she also stays in the harbour. Since I live about 50 kilometres from Harlingen, this was a good opportunity for me to spot her. In the middle of the evening, she swam out of the harbour again.


12 October: Today she is seen in the harbour of the island Terschelling. She is resting here since this morning. Since today, she has also been given a name. She is called Freya. Sighting: Walrus - Odobenus rosmarus

 

Update on walrus Freya:

13 October: Halfway through the afternoon, she swam out of the harbour of Terschelling.

18 October - 2 November: Since 18 November Freya has been seen off the coast of Den Helder. The first days she was seen swimming along the sea dyke. Since 26 October, she has found a new resting place in the harbour of Den Helder. This is a very special resting place, because she is lying on a submarine of the Royal Netherlands Navy! The funny thing is that it is a submarine of the walrus type. This part of the harbour is closed off to the public, so Freya gets all the peace and quiet she needs here.

Photo of Freya on the submarine: Walrus - Odobenus rosmarus

Video of Freya on the submarine:


Since she is in good condition and can find enough food, experts think that she could stay in the Dutch Wadden Sea for a long time.