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Walrus in Scarborough Harbour: The animal attracted numerous onlookers
Photo: Stuart Ford / dpa
How bad is all the banging and hustle and bustle on New Year's Eve for animals?
This is also the subject of heated debate in Germany year after year, for example using dogs.
The English seaside town of Scarborough also faced the same debate on Saturday, except that in its case it was about a very specific walrus.
The animal, which had previously appeared in British media under the name Thor, stopped in the city's harbor on Saturday.
The PA news agency reported it may be the same animal that visited the coast of southern England earlier in December.
Thor's unexpected visit also put Scarborough under pressure: The city had actually planned fireworks for midnight.
But, one wondered: does it really have to be right now if a walrus has been sighted in the county of Yorkshire for the first time?
The welfare of the walrus came first
Ultimately, the coastal city decided to cancel its fireworks at short notice – especially since numerous onlookers had already gone to the harbor during the day to take a close look at Thor.
As the BBC reports, City Councilor Steve Siddons was disappointed with the cancellation of the event, but from his point of view the well-being of the walrus came first.
Siddons said the decision to cancel the event was taken on the advice of British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), a charity that had been observing the marine mammal.
According to the BBC, wildlife experts suspect Thor was simply stopping at Scarborough on his way north.
Incidentally, Thor is said to have made off again at such short notice as the fireworks were cancelled: As “The Northern Echo” reports, the walrus should go back into the sea on Saturday around 5 p.m. local time, i.e. before the turn of the year to have.
mbo/dpa