JUNEAU, Alaska — A walrus calf seemingly left behind by her herd near Alaska’s northernmost city is alert and “sassy” as she receives care at a nonprofit wildlife response center hundreds of miles away following her recent rescue, a center spokesperson said Thursday.
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.
The calf arrived at the center nearly a year after it took in a 200-pound male calf that was found alone and miles from the ocean on Alaska’s North Slope. That baby, which struggled with health issues, such as nutrient malabsorption, and other complications, later died.