Sivuqaq: a love story

I admit that I have a fondness for animals, although not always the obvious ones. Sea otters, giraffe and orangutans are fairly obvious, I guess, but iguana, rhinos and aardvarks aren't. But I have discovered a new favourite.

Walruses are not exactly cute. They don't have the range of clever tricks that, say seals have. They aren't graceful on land, or dramatic in the water, but they have character. And, as someone who likes to describe himself as more walrus than gazelle, I find myself fascinated by them.

And so it was with some delight that I came across a documentary about walruses on BBC2 on Saturday night. Sivuqaq (he's the handsome devil on the right-hand side of the picture) is the hero of our story, with a range of delightful and charming habits, but with one flaw. Movie star, character actor - he was the walrus in 50 First Dates - but so far, not successful as a father. And, if I couldn't be what I am now, I suspect that I'd be quite happy being him.

Sadly, it's only on BBC i-player for another ten days, until 31 October, so I strongly recommend that you take some time to have a look.

You won't regret it...