A walrus who has delighted nature lovers by touring the north coast appears to be returning home to the arctic.
The blubbery mammal, dubbed Wally by fans, arrived in Orkney at the start of March and became the first walrus recorded on the Scottish mainland since 1954 when it reached Armadale on the Sutherland coast shortly after.
Experts reckon it might have been thrown off course by the Beast from the East storm, and drifted far from the icy waters it normally inhabits.
It journeyed down the west coast from there and was spotted on the Isle of Harris at the start of May.
The creature then doubled back on itself, swimming all the way past John O’Groats to reach Wick towards the end of last month.
After spending 24 hours in the far north town – and becoming something of a local celebrity in the process – it went back into the water beside the town’s old lifeboat station.
The subsequent whereabouts of the walrus have remained a mystery until tonight – when it was spotted at Skerries in Shetland.
Observers reckon this means that the animal has finally figured out its bearings and is swimming back to the arctic.
