- In July 2024, a baby walrus was found orphaned on the shores of Utqiagvik, Alaska
- At the time, the walrus, later named Uki, was emaciated and dehydrated, with small, superficial wounds covering her small body
- Biologists and veterinarians around the country jumped in to save her life. Now, she’s adapting to her new home at SeaWorld Orlando in Florida
When a female walrus calf was first found on the beaches of Utqiagvik, Alaska on July 22, 2024, there was some mystery.
For one thing, she was orphaned, with biologists hypothesizing that either her herd left the area or she had somehow been taken by humans to an area further inland and escaped. After she was spotted by civilians, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service was contacted, ultimately giving the Alaska SeaLife Center approval to triage and save the young walrus’ life.
Estimated to be just a few weeks old, the calf was in dire need of help — emaciated and dehydrated, with small, superficial wounds covering her small body. Once the calf was taken to the center, top walrus care institutions across the country jumped into action. SeaWorld, the Indianapolis Zoo and Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium all sent staffers to Alaska to assist with the calf’s care.
Among them were Diana Hawke and Staci Owens of SeaWorld Orlando. Speaking to PEOPLE, Hawke spoke about her initial visit with the walrus, who rescuers named “Ukiaq,” which translates to “autumn” in the language of the Iñupiaq people who live in the area of northern Alaska where she was first found.
In addition to daily cleanings and formula preparation, Hawke acted as something of a surrogate mom for the calf now affectionately called “Uki” — cuddling next to her when she wanted to sleep, and offering her various types of enrichment.
Once Uki was cleared to travel, the team decided that SeaWorld Orlando — home to a number of other rescued walruses — would serve as the best place for her to continue her recovery and be around other animals.
But first, she would have to get there.
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Flying a walrus from Alaska to Orlando is no easy feat and, in Uki’s case, it required a FedEx plane (the same kind used to transport consumer goods) and a police escort.
Once in Orlando, Uki settled in and continued to receive round-the-clock care while the team readied her to eventually live full-time with other walruses.
“The team who worked with Uki had her scent on their clothing,” Dr. Joseph Gaspard, SeaWorld Orlando’s vice president of zoological operations, explains. Those staff members would then go to work with the rest of the walrus herd so the other animals could get used to Uki’s smell, and vice versa.
Initially, keepers heeled Uki in a sunny area where she could get comfortable on her own, eventually working with her in both shallow and deep water.
Then, they began to slowly introduce her to the rest of the walrus herd — via protected contact, where they could see and touch one other but with a metal barrier separating them.
“Slowly the team has has increased the amount of time Uki spends with the others,” Hawke says. Uki’s next step will be getting up close and personal with Kaboodle, a 20-year-old female who has had multiple walrus calves and is a very experienced mom.
In the months since she was first rescued, Uki has made tremendous progress.
“When she was in Alaska, she was just over 100 pounds,” Hawke says. “When she moved here [to SeaWorld Orlando], she was around 190.” Now, she weighs 350.
She still has some growing to do. Her tusks, or “little TicTacs,” as Hawke calls them, have started to come in, as have her teeth.
“Just like any youngster, she’s going through a teething phase,” notes Dr. Gaspard.
As for her personality, Hawke describes her as “very spicy.” “She’s not modest. She will tell you exactly how she feels.”
And once she’s ready, Uki will join Kaboodle, along with Garfield (a 42-year-old male who was bottle-raised at SeaWorld), Kora (Kaboodle’s four-year-old daughter) and the rest of the SeaWorld walrus herd in the new Expedition Odyssey habitat, slated to open this spring.
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