Scientists to count walrus sightings such as Scarborough's Thor for climate change study

This was unusual yes but also unheard of, through the annals of Yorkshire's history. So what made this huge mammal, from the icy Arctic seas, travel so far south this winter?

That is the kind of question scientists are asking, as they launch a call for Walrus Detectives to help count their kind from space. The WWF with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is seeking support from the public to scour for clues in satellite images.

Walrus are facing the "harsh reality" of the climate crisis, they say, with an urgent need now to discover just how deeply they are affected.

Rod Downie is the WWF's chief polar advisor for the UK. He said: “Walrus are big, powerful animals, but they are also increasingly vulnerable to the implications of the climate crisis, as the sea ice is literally melting out from underneath them. 

"What we are trying to do is better understand walrus, how they are being affected by the climate crisis now and how they might respond in a climate altered future. We are doing this to provide evidence to support the conservation of the species across its range.” 

Thor, a juvenile walrus, settled on a slipway in Scarborough harbour late into the night of December 30. Staff at the nearby Sealife Centre immediately sought support from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR). Their initial response was: "Are you joking?"

Walrus like Thor tend to prefer a polar habitat, though he had been spotted in Hampshire before, as well as France and the Netherlands.

After a scant 24-hours snoozing in front of an adoring crowd - with police and Sealife staff patrolling a cordon to keep him safe - Thor slipped back into the sea. He was later spotted again in the small town of Blythe, Northumberland, resting on a yacht club's pontoon.

Now a new Walrus from Space programme launches tomorrow to scour satellite images. For three weeks, volunteer detectives are asked to help with conservation science.

Thousands of images have been collected by space intelligence company Maxar Technologies, and sightings of walrus from 2021 need to be counted. A wider five-year project hopes to create a whole census of the Atlantic and Laptev Walrus. This can help with population data and change, as well as safeguarding their future.

Hannah Cubaynes, conservation scientist for BAS, said that while the Arctic is a vast and remote region, proving a challenging place to work, this can be done by keen citizen scientists from home. Volunteers can register for training at wwf.org.uk.