Magnus the wandering walrus leaves Scotland for Norway

A peripatetic walrus who became a local celebrity as he toured the north-east coast of Scotland has now been spotted in Norway, bringing to an end his Celtic sojourn. The young male was christened Magnus after he after first hauled his estimated 2.5-metre frame out of the sea on to Stronsay pier in Orkney on 16 April. Although walruses usually prefer to rest on sea ice, Magnus has since then been found snoozing on piers and pontoons along the Moray coast after swimming 200 miles south to the Scottish mainland. Police asked the public to report sightings of a wandering walrus, and his appearances drew hundreds of spectators as he swam from Lossiemouth to Macduff, Fraserburgh, Findochty and then Hopeman, entertaining crowds with his vigorous itching and – in a move surely conceived for Instagram – accidentally rolling off a harbour wall. Walruses are rare visitors to Scottish shores, although sightings have increased in recent years, prompting concerns that the effects of climate change on their Arctic ice habitat may be causing these southbound excursions. While walruses are known to be highly social animals, by 21 April police took the step of erecting a cordon at Lossiemouth marina to contain his admirers. Further along the coast in the fishing village of Findochty, Katie Wilson spotted Magnus on April as she was dropping her three-year-old daughter at nursery near the harbour. “The kids could not believe it,” said Wilson at the time. “They were in shock. …