A female walrus that has strayed into the Baltic Sea has caused a stir since appearing last Thursday in Hamina on Finland's southeast coast, where it stayed until Saturday.

On Sunday it appeared some 30 km to the west in Suulisniemi, just south of the port city of Kotka.

There, it became entangled in fisherman Antero Halonen's net.

"It was friendly at first, and not threatening at all. It didn't seem to be a problem," said Halonen.

The walrus had swum into the fyke, a large bag-shaped trap, sometime between Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

"The only option was to cut an opening in it. It was attached by its tusks and couldn't swim freely," explained Halonen.

According to Halonen, the walrus only became agitated when the Coast Guard arrived.

He says that the walrus took hold of the boat by her tusks and tried to get on board.

"The boat tilted and took on water, and that resulted in my first swimming trip this summer. Fortunately, I had asked the authorities for help, said Halonen.

Expensive equipment at the bottom of the sea

According to Halonen, the situation was not dangerous, but he regrets the loss of the boat's engine and technical fishing gear, including an air compressor.

"I lost professional fishing equipment that's hard to come by. That causes a lot of problems, but I was able to see the animal swimming away freely. It's a smart animal," said Halonen.

According to Halonen's estimate, the lost equipment was worth more than 10,000 euros. Iltalehti reported on Monday afternoon that Halonen did not have insurance.

The walrus cow was seen for the first time in Finland in the southeastern town Hamina last Thursday after similar sightings on southern Baltic coastal areas since 17 June. It clambered onto a beach on Friday, when authorities closed the area off to protect it from curious people.

No sightings have been reported since Sunday afternoon.

The Atlantic walrus's nearest natural habitat areas include Greenland and the far northern Norwegian islands.

19.7: Updated with more details.