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| Väinö the Walrus |
Today, on 19th of of July 2022, at 09.59 am my phone alerted about the Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) in Kotka. It was the same animal I got dipped out on last Saturday. I rushed to change my clothes, jumped in my car and pushed the pedal. Soon I was in Highway 3, heading to south. And after two and half hours I was in Kotka. And there it was, waiting for me, Väinö the Walrus!
It is an amazing creature indeed! Huge, handsome, a real cosmic mind-f*cker!
At noon, it was just resting in front yard of somebody's home. Police was there already, and so was the head of local Rescue Department. At that time they let us watch the walrus from relatively close distance, about 20 meters. Later in the afternoon, when the veterinarians came, police cordoned off the area and forced mammalwatchers, photographers and and media reporters move further away.
Soon the veterinarians informed that the walrus was famished and that it had lost the grease layer under it's skin that protects it in cold water. This started a big rescue operation and during evening they managed to force the walrus to sleep, transferred it in a big truck which took the walrus to animal hospital of Korkeasaari Zoo. I really hope it survives and will be moved later to the coast of Arctic Sea, maybe to northern Norway or even Svalbard.
This Walrus is the #96 in my Global Mammal Life List and #62 in my Finland Mammal Life List. Below is some more photos of it and it's route map from Norway to Finland.
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| Väinö's route, credits go to Rune Aae ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Writer  Valkeakoski Finland |
At next day, on July 20, I read from the news that she passed away, when she was moved from Kotka to animal hospital in Helsinki 😔
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