Walrus Makes A Rare Visit To Newfoundland's Northern Coast

Residents of a small Newfoundland town were surprised on Monday when they spotted a rare Arctic visitor off their shore.

Ruby Taylor Peyton snapped a photo of a walrus contentedly floating around in White Cape Harbour near St. Lunaire-Griquet.

"Every now and then he'd poke up and just lie back down again," she told CBC News.

The Atlantic walrus is considered an at-risk species, and has entirely disappeared from the Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Gulf of St. Lawrence regions due to over-hunting, according to the federal government. The government says sporadic sightings of the animals should not be considered evidence that they've been re-established in the region.

According to VOCM, locals say the last time a walrus was seen in the area was the 1940s.

“Never saw anything like that around here," Peyton said in an interview with CTV News.

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