In this image provided by the Alaska SeaLife Center, Alaska SeaLife Center Animal Care Specialist Maddie Welch, left, and Veterinary Technician Jessica Davis feed an orphaned female Pacific walrus calf on Monday, July 22, 2024, in Seward, Alaska. The rescued calf arrived at the center from Utqiagvik, Alaska. Activities permitted by USFWS LOA-PER0051451.
Alaska SeaLife Center spokesperson Kaiti Grant said the nearly 165-pound , crinkly-bodied Pacific walrus arrived at the center in Seward late Monday from Utqiagvik, some 800 miles away. An initial exam indicated the calf, thought to be a couple weeks old, was malnourished and dehydrated. The calf also had superficial wounds on her body, though it wasn’t clear what caused them, and little is known of the circumstances that caused her to be left alone, Grant said.
Hunters had reported that a walrus herd had recently been in the beach area where the calf was found, according to the center, which is also a public aquarium and research facility.a 200-pound male calf that was found alone and miles from the ocean on Alaska’s North Slope.
But she said the animals have special needs and the first several weeks likely will be a crucial stage until staff know the calf has stabilized. Since walrus calves seek comfort through contact with their mothers, the center says staff provide round-the-clock attention.Pacific walruses live in the Bering and Chukchi seas. They haul out on sea ice and along the coast and islands of Alaska and Russia, according to the state Department of Fish and Game.