Thor the walrus: Arctic animal returns to the sea in Scarborough

A walrus which has drawn large crowds to Scarborough for the past few days, has been filmed returning to the sea.

Wildlife experts suggested the animal - nicknamed Thor - was "taking a break" before heading north.

He was first thought to have been spotted on the south coast of England three weeks ago, before arriving in the North Yorkshire seaside resort on Saturday.

A New Year's Eve fireworks display in the town was cancelled to protect the Arctic animal.

What happened?

Thor is known to have visited the Netherlands and France in recent months

The giant mammal has drawn huge crowds to the north-east town of Scarborough since being spotted on New Year's Eve.

It's thought to be the first time that a walrus has ever been seen in Yorkshire.

The animal is believed to be Thor - the same walrus spotted at Calshot beach on the Hampshire coastline last month.

Thor is known to have visited the Netherlands and Dieppe in France in recent months and it's believed he could have travelled from as far as the Canadian Arctic.

Experts at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said his arrival in the UK was "extremely rare" and that he was likely to be making his way back to Arctic waters.

It's thought to be the first time that a walrus had been spotted in Yorkshire

Local wildlife experts had asked people not to disturb Thor and Scarborough's New Year fireworks display was cancelled on the advice of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, who said it could have upset the animal.

Thor has now left Scarborough after video footage emerged of him making his way towards the sea, diving in and then swimming off.

It is thought the animal has moved on, now that he was rested enough to continue his journey north towards the Arctic.