Wally the walrus: Lifeboat crew use horn to budge animal

A lifeboat volunteer had to resort to using an air-horn to budge Wally the walrus off the station's slipway.

The hefty mammal was basking in the sun on Monday afternoon when Tenby RNLI lifeboat were called to respond to a potential emergency involving a canoe.

Despite one crew member's best efforts to shoo Wally with a brush, the sturdy sea creature was not budging.

Photographer Martyn Sidwell, from Middlesbrough, said Wally had been resting after five days out at sea.

Wally has become something of a tourist attraction in Tenby, having strayed unusually south to the Pembrokeshire coast last month.

Mr Sidwell said he had travelled with his wife on Monday especially to see Wally.

"He had been feeding offshore for five consecutive days with no rest, so he was holed up on the lifeboat ramp trying to get some rest," he recalled.

"Then a shout went out for the lifeboat and the crew started arriving, running into the station. They soon realised, 'we're going to have to move the walrus'.

"Eventually this guy came walking out with a broom, and tried to usher him off the ramp.

"Then [the walrus] looked at him as if to say, 'you're having a laugh'. He's the size of a cow. He wouldn't move."

With no luck with the brush, Mr Sidwell said the crew member tried a different approach.

"Then he came back with an air-horn. He must have thought, 'I've had enough of this noise', and turned into the sea," he recalled.

The RNLI said the lifeboat was responding to two canoeists who got into difficulty between Stackpole and Broadhaven, about 10 miles west of Tenby.

Since Wally's arrival, the crew has learned that "making a bit of noise" can encourage the walrus off the slipway while the lifeboat is launched, the charity said.

"On Monday the walrus needed a bit more convincing to move from the slip," a spokeswoman said.

"Due to the severity of the call-out and the need to keep the RNLI volunteers at a safe distance, a louder noise was made.

"Again, once the lifeboat was on the water, Wally soon returned to his sunbathing spot and carried on with his day."

Reflecting on the experience, Mr Sidwell, who travelled home on Wednesday, said he felt privileged because seeing such animals in the flesh was "extremely rare".

"It was a little bit tinged with sadness - he's a long way from home. But he's healthy and putting on weight since he first turned up," he added.

"Obviously the local razor clams have fed him up quite well."