A research scientist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans believes wildlife officials handled the situation well when a walrus ended up on Middle Cove Beach.

The marine mammal spent all day Saturday and most of the day Sunday at the location, resting on various parts of the beach as crowds of people turned out for a look.

That has raised some concerns from people who suggest that the crowds of people may have forced the animal, which may have been injured, to flee back into the ocean.

Dr. Garry Stenson went to see the walrus on Saturday and says he looks like the one that turned up in Grates Cove in January.

Stenson says the animal looked thin back in January and appears to be thinner now. However, he notes that the creature has been fine in our waters for the last five or six months, and hopefully it will continue to find food and potentially work its way back up to the Arctic.

As for the human impact from the weekend, Stenson says the walrus didn’t seem too bothered

He says the Walrus wasn’t responding much when he was there, and as long as people were staying back and the animal didn’t seem bothered he thinks the officers on site were doing a good job. He says allowing people the chance to see it is a unique opportunity and is okay as long as the animal isn’t bothered.