An orphaned Pacific walrus calf completed a 4,000-mile journey from remote Alaska to SeaWorld Orlando in Florida. The five-month-old, 220-pound male calf, named Annautaq, was discovered on a northern Alaska beach after a walrus herd departed during heavy surf, leaving him stranded between two dead adult walruses.
The rescue followed consultations with local residents, as subsistence hunting is a traditional part of life in the region. After the community supported saving the animal, researchers and federal wildlife officials moved forward with the rescue effort.
Following initial care in the field and rehabilitation at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, experts determined the calf could not be released back into the wild due to his heavy dependence on maternal milk and protection during his first year of life.
Calf Found on Remote Alaska Beach
The calf was found in mid-September near Point Lay on Alaska’s northwest coast by Violet Anniskett, a wildlife research intern and college student, while she was working alongside U.S. Geological Survey walrus researcher Tony Fischbach. Anniskett was photographing animal carcasses to count them when she noticed movement, stepped closer, and saw the calf open his eyes.
Working with Fischbach, Anniskett named the animal Annautaq—meaning “axe” in Iñupiaq—in honor of her late father. Before the rescue could proceed, researchers sought agreement from the local community. Anniskett noted that taking the animal without community consensus would mean taking it from the residents who rely on subsistence hunting.
Storms delayed transportation, requiring the researchers to shelter the calf in an abandoned building with a broken door. During this time, the team watched over the animal through the night while facing challenges including nearby polar bear tracks and scavenging gulls. The calf eventually followed his rescuers into shelter, where he spent his first days building a close dependence on human caretakers.
Transfer to Alaska SeaLife Center
Federal wildlife officials authorized the intervention, and the calf was transported over 800 miles to the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward on September 14. Arriving dehydrated and with superficial wounds, the five-month-old animal weighed roughly 200 pounds and was placed under around-the-clock medical, nutritional, and social care.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that Annautaq could not return to the ocean because Pacific walrus calves depend entirely on their mothers for milk, defense, and the acquisition of critical survival and social behaviors throughout their first year. Because intensive human contact during rehabilitation makes return to the wild impossible, experts from the marine mammal care community evaluated his long-term needs.
SeaWorld sent veterinary and animal care staff experienced in handling walruses to Alaska to assist the SeaLife Center team and prepare the calf for his cross-country move. Annautaq was subsequently flown to Florida, accompanied during the first leg of the journey by Anniskett.
New Life at SeaWorld Orlando
Upon arriving in Central Florida, Annautaq began a 30-day quarantine period featuring veterinary monitoring and up to six bottle feedings a day. Animal care curators plan to introduce him gradually to SeaWorld Orlando’s existing walrus herd, which includes 44-year-old Garfield, 23-year-old surrogate mother Kaboodle—who has prior experience nurturing rescued calves—and Uki, a two-year-old rescued Pacific walrus from the Alaska SeaLife Center.
Park officials noted that Kaboodle’s experience and Uki’s background as a rescued peer provide a promising environment for Annautaq to build relationships and learn natural walrus behaviors.
When will park visitors be able to view Annautaq in the walrus habitat at SeaWorld Orlando?