Walruses #2

!cid_X_MA1_1223580406@aol, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. This is another photo, presumably of the same Hagenbeck trained walrus. Note the sea lion. Jim Alexander earlier mentioned that Sea World had used trained walruses for 25 years and that the first one, a female named Flo, had come from St.Louis zoo. In September 1984 I saw a 1,500 pound female named “Slow Poke” perform at Sea World’s seal show in Orlando. She wrapped up the act by bursting out onto the stage and flopping into the water filled moat that separated stage from audience. Using her front flippers, she then boosted herself up on the edge facing the crowd whereupon she spit a mouthful of water all over those sitting in the first few rows. That drew a great laugh and much applause. As expected, most of the show consisted of California sea lions doing turns both on the stage and in the water. However, it included another novelty for me, namely, two trained North American river otters. Breeding walruses in captivity has proved difficult. The first walrus bred and born in USA (or anywhere as far as I know) was a pup born to “Petula” at Marineland of the Pacific, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. at 7:10 a.m. on 20 May 1975. I saw mother and pup there on 14 September 1975. At the time Marineland had 2-1 additional adult walruses that, together with the calf’s mother, were captured in May 1961 in the Bering Straits. One of the adult males had a fine set of tusks and mama “Petula” had a single tusk.. I mention this because captive walruses often have little or no tusks and are thus shown without the adornment which make them so spectacular. I believe they must wear them down on the walls or bottoms of their pools, similar to the way Indian rhinos wear down their single horn to nothing. Since that 1975 success a number of additional walruses have been born here in America that have survived. Sea World, San Diego got the walruses from Marineland, Palos Verdes when it closed in 1987 (the land became too valuable and was sold to developers). A walrus was born in S. Diego the same year. Another birth took place in S-World, S. Diego in 1993. Then in 2007 a pup was born at the NY Aquarium on Coney Island. These survived, but others did not. In Europe, the only walruses births of which I am aware (two of them) took place at the Dolphinarium at Harderwijk, Netherlands, one in 1995 and the other in 2003. Should one want to see walruses today in America, here's where to go - -Sea World (San Diego, San Antonio, and Orlando), Six flags Discovery Kingdom, Vallejo, CA; New York Aquarium, Coney Island; Quebec Aquarium; Indianapolis Zoo; and Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, Tacoma, WA.