Wally the walrus: Crowds 'may have driven' creature from Tenby

Wally the walrus was being protected by lifeguards on the RNLI slipway in Tenby

Wally the walrus may have been driven away from a popular Welsh seaside town because of crowds disturbing him, according to an animal welfare charity.

The walrus has not been seen since 07:00 BST on Easter Monday.

The sea creature was first spotted off the Pembrokeshire coast on 19 March and became a bit of a tourist attraction in Tenby over Easter.

An animal welfare charity said it was unusual for walruses to be found alone and so far south.

Wally is believed to have arrived from the Arctic on an ice floe, and was initially seen off County Kerry earlier this month, before he ended up on the Welsh coast.

Terry Leadbetter, founder of Welsh Marine Life Rescue, said the animal may have been disturbed as a result of the large number of people flocking to the area to catch a glimpse of it.

'Not like being in a zoo'

He also said other reasons could explain the walrus' apparent absence, such as that he had exhausted the feeding ground and was looking for somewhere else to feed.

Mr Leadbetter said: "Wally could have left because of the constant pressures from jet skis, swimmers, dinghies and water crafts.

"People have been trying to get too close to the walrus for whatever reason, and it's a wild animal, it's not like being in a zoo. He would be unaware of human contact."

He added that he'd heard reports of people travelling from as far as Essex and Leeds to see Wally, breaking Covid restrictions to try and get a glimpse of him.

One photographer captured Wally on a trip to the area on 30 March

'Really excited'

The charity is advising people to keep away and leave the creature alone.

"I get that it is a bit of a sensation, and when he was hauled out on the slipway it caused a lot of attention," Mr Leadbetter said.

"But walruses are a dangerous creature and their great set of tusks can easily injure someone."

Mr Leadbetter said when he first had the call, he and his wife thought it was may be a grey seal.

"Its not unnatural to see a grey seal hauled on a rock," he added.

"But lo and behold, it was a walrus. I was really excited, there has never been a sighting of one before in this area. I then thought what are we going to do, we can't do anything, we just need to monitor him."

• MEETING A WELSH LEGEND: Make A Difference Heroes talk to Tom Jones

• THE TALES OF THE MABINOGI: Based on the iconic work of medieval Welsh mythology