The walrus, which has rarely appeared in the waters of southern Finland, is not doing well after wandering 150 meters from the river bank to the backyard in Kotka on Tuesday morning.
The plans to transfer the animal to Helsinki’s Korkeasaari Zoo were still in progress on Tuesday evening, but it remained unclear whether the animal would survive the ordeals related to treatment.
Nina Tronttidirector of animal care and protection at the zoo, said Tuesday night that the facility is preparing to welcome the large mammal.
"At the moment, we are measuring door openings and thinking about how to get the animal safely out of the transport box to the treatment department," Trontti said.
"At the moment it is a poor animal," he pointed out.
According to the zoo, the walrus’ normally thick layer of fat is very thin and it is very unlikely that the creature would survive in the wild in such a condition.
The walrus was first seen on Friday on the bank of another river in the nearby seaside town of Hamina, after which it was caught in a fisherman’s trap days later.
Source: The Nordic Page