Scarborough walrus: Police erect cordon around rare Arctic visitor Thor and volunteers keep guard

Walruses often spend several days resting in a single location, so volunteers from the nearby Sea Life Centre will now monitor Thor and prevent people accessing the slipway who may disturb him.

Thor was last seen in Hampshire in mid-December, and has been spotted in the Netherlands and France this winter – far from his polar habitat.

Sea Life Centre staff – whom Scarborough residents have nicknamed the ‘tusk force’ – have given the adolescent male a health check and confirmed that he is in good condition and resting.

The charity British Divers Marine Life Rescue has warned onlookers to keep their distance from the walrus – thought to be the first ever of the species to have been recorded in Yorkshire – and not to disturb him. Dogs in particular should be allowed nowhere near the animal.