Walrus in UK Zoo?

B

bugs

Well-Known Member
Hi, just a quick question. I know that there are currently no walruses in any UK zoo, but have they ever been keep in the UK? If so where and when?

Thanks in advance,
Bugs
 
London kept one in the old elephant pool in the Casson pavillion, the one the hippos use in the winter. Don't quite know how it fitted.
 
ashley-h said:
London kept one in the old elephant pool in the Casson pavillion, the one the hippos use in the winter. Don't quite know how it fitted.
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Are you sure about this i have never heard of a walrus at Regents park in recent history:confused:
 
Someone did confirm a walrus was kept in the Casson pool at one time, just can't remember who it was.
 
I think it might have been Pertinax or Bele, not sure though. However it was deffinetely confirmed.
 
Wow, that's great bugs, thanks!
I thionk walrusses are ugly as sin normally, but that baby was very cute.
 
Walrus in London Zoo

There was definitely a walrus named "Alice" kept in the indoor elephant bathing pool, in the Elephant and Rhino Pavilion for a short while in the 1960s.

Walruses were also kept prior to that and feature in London Zoo postcards from the 1930s.
 
Walrus in London Zoo

Further to the earlier comments about walruses in London Zoo:-

The first walrus at London Zoo arrived on 12th October 1853.

London Zoo's second walrus arrived on 1st November 1867.

Neither of these animals lived long.

Tim
 
Doing some research on Penscynor , I came across an article about Wally the young walrus being briefly exhibited at Skegness Marineland in September 1981 . He had been rescued - do not know where from - and was then returned to Icelandic waters . Seems that he caused quite a bit of interest at the time .
 
Bele said:
Doing some research on Penscynor , I came across an article about Wally the young walrus being briefly exhibited at Skegness Marineland in September 1981 . He had been rescued - do not know where from - and was then returned to Icelandic waters . Seems that he caused quite a bit of interest at the time .
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Walruses do not live here in Iceland actually, they are seen here from time to time but those are always stray animals from Greenland. But of course they are more often seen here than in Britain. Wally was one though, but I'm not sure where in Britain he was found.

The matter ended up with 10 Downing Street and Margret Thatcher, and even if Britain was in a middle of recession, MT decided to fund a transfer for the animal to its most likely home, which was thought to be Greenland. Perhaps because of the recession, British public took even more interest in the matter than otherwise would have been, as it meant a break from dreadful bad news of strikes and such.

I am familiar with the story, although I've never been able to understand why Iceland got involved in the first place. Denmark controlled Greenland back then. But in any case Icelandic authorities were contacted. Perhaps because of the so-called Cod Wars (when we extended our fishing limits, hence cutting back the area British trawlers could fish on) the Icelandic authorities possibly wanted to get on the good side with Britain again.

I have a book in which one chapter details the story of the walrus from the time it was found in Britain to the time it was released in Greenland. It was written by the manager of a long-since closed Icelandic zoo who got involved in the matter. I could translate the chapter if you give me a few days. However I was, up until now, unaware of in which collection Wally was housed until he was flown to Iceland.

The Icelandic coast guard sailed with Wally towards Greenland, and on a random iceberg the animal was released from its crate. Since then no one knows what happened to Wally, although there is a theory that an animal that appeared in Iceland the following summer was actually Wally again. That animal looked very similar to Wally in every way; even with the same tusk missing. But it disappeared again after a few days.
 
Thanks for the fascinating information on Wally , Baldur . There is no mention on where Wally was found . I have just checked the article I found , which confirms your detail regarding Iceland and Greenland . The caption to the photo states

' Wally the Walrus , who stayed at Skegness natureland Marine Zoo in September 1981 while waiting to be shipped back to Greenland . '

The brief article starts

' During September we had the pleasure of helping with the rescue and subsequent return to Iclandic waters of a young male walrus . '

The article was in ' Zoo Federation News ' , number 32 , Autumn 1981 .
 
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