Baby walrus found between 2 dead adults in Alaska survives 3-day Arctic storm and polar bears; but his new life comes at a cost. He can never return home now

For three days, a baby walrus had nowhere safe to go because he was stranded on a remote Alaskan island all alone. The young animal had been found lying hiding between the bodies of two dead adult walruses, with hungry seagulls circling above and polar bears nearby. On top of all this, then an Arctic storm made it almost impossible to get the baby walrus to safety. But the calf survived.

Two rescuers sheltered him through the storm before helping him make a journey that was over 800-miles to a specialist rehabilitation centre. Now, after receiving the care he needed to stay alive, the young walrus has a permanent home. There is, however, a painful catch about this sweet story and that is he will never be able to return back to his home.

The rescue mission

The calf was found near Point Lay, on Alaska’s north-west coast, in September by Violet Anniskett, a local resident and student at Ilisaġvik College, and Tony Fischbach, a walrus biologist with the US Geological Survey (USGS), as per Popular Science. They had been examining walrus carcasses when they noticed that one of the animals among the dead remains was still alive.


Anniskett later described to Alaska Public Media that she had been photographing the carcasses so she could count them when she noticed some movement.

“I was taking photos of all the carcasses so that I can go back and count them, and I saw the stomach move,” she told the broadcaster. “I was like, ‘Wait!’ Took a step closer, and all of a sudden, his eyes opened up.”

“When we found him, a determined flock of gulls was intent on scavenging him. He was in immediate peril of suffering this fate had we not gotten approval to intervene. Two polar bears were also active on the island,” Fischbach said in a statement issued by the Alaska SeaLife Center.

Before the rescuers could take the animal away, they needed approval from the Native Village of Point Lay and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The community's consent was important because walrus hunting is closely connected to local subsistence and cultural traditions.

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Three days of Arctic storm

Getting permission was only the beginning. The Alaska SeaLife Center, the state's only marine mammal rehabilitation facility, was more than 800 miles away, and severe weather conditions left the rescuers stranded on the island with the baby walrus.

With no immediate way to transport the calf, Anniskett and Fischbach moved him into an abandoned building to protect him from the weather and nearby predators. They remained with him for three days, keeping him company while waiting for conditions to improve.

“He bonded with us fast and wouldn’t sleep unless one of us were in the room. It was just us two for three days, stuck in a storm with the young walrus,” Anniskett said.

Once the weather became normal again, the calf was taken to the local airport and transported to the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward where he arrived on September 14.

A second chance at life in rehabilitation

The calf, named Annautaq by Anniskett in honour of her late father, weighed around 200 pounds when he arrived. Staff estimated that he was about five months old.

He was dehydrated and had several superficial wounds, but his overall physical condition was good. Caregivers gave him fluids and also treated his injuries.

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Pacific walrus calves generally remain with their mothers for one to two years, relying on close physical contact, social interaction and regular feeding. Hence, the caregivers now had to give that orphaned calf constant attention.

“Caring for an orphaned walrus calf is truly a team effort and requires around the clock commitment,” said Jane Belovarac, the centre's wildlife response curator.

Why Annautaq cannot go back home

The close human contact that helped Annautaq survive has also determined what happens next. Because he has become accustomed to human care, he cannot be returned to the wild.

After his health stabilised, the Alaska SeaLife Center arranged for him to move to a permanent home. The location of the facility has not been publicly disclosed.

Annautaq is expected to become an ambassador for Pacific walruses, helping people learn about his species and its needs.