Godspeed you on your journey, Wally.

Wally the Walrus has made his first appearance in over three weeks, and he’s no longer hanging out off the coast of Cork.

The arctic walrus, who spent weeks destroying boats in Clonakilty, Crookhaven and all over West Cork, became a star during the summer, winning the hearts of the Irish people.

Unfortunately, many ignored advice from the conservationists to give Wally space, and fears arose that he had become frightened and injured.

Thankfully, it appears that not only is Wally safe, he is also steadily making his way home. An update from Seal Rescue Ireland seems to confirm that Wally is in Iceland, over 900km away from his last known whereabouts in Cork.

Seal Rescue Ireland were able to identify the 1,000kg walrus by the scars on each of his front flippers. British Divers Marine Life Rescue also came to the same conclusion.

#WalrusWatch UPDATE: After 22 days with no confirmed sightings, we were starting to lose hope of ever seeing the young, wandering walrus again. HOWEVER, we just received notice that a similar-looking walrus was sighted yesterday in ICELAND..
Picture: Hafrún Eiríks / Höfn 1/7 pic.twitter.com/ZQLwGtbVol

— Seal Rescue Ireland (@seal_rescue) September 20, 2021

On Twitter, Seal Rescue Ireland wrote: “He was seen swimming back out to sea last night (and even managed to avoid sinking any boats while he was there)! We are so grateful to the many members of the public who have shown support and love for this walrus by giving him a safe place to rest and gather his strength while visiting our shores ahead of this magnificent journey.

“Thanks to his ability to feed and rest, he has successfully made the long stretch and will hopefully reunite with his own kind again soon. Please always remember to give wildlife space, and put their safety and welfare first!

“This success is a great opportunity to highlight the immense pressures that our marine mammals face on a daily basis from human disturbance. Please remember to apply this love and respect to Wally’s cousins, our own Common Seals and Grey Seals, who are extremely vulnerable at this time of year due to giving birth to and caring for their pups on our shores.

“As climate change impacts wildlife habitats, many species are under an ever-increasing threat and the least we can do is avoid intentionally making their lives even more difficult.”