The Alaska SeaLife Center announced on Oct. 21 that SeaWorld Orlando would be the long-term home for Annautaq, a young Pacific walrus rescued in Alaska. The center said he had left Alaska on Oct. 1. The announcement named his new home; his rescue and an earlier transfer to an unnamed facility had already been reported. Alaska Public Media covered the rescue on Oct. 12, and the center said the calf had since moved to long-term care.
Annautaq was found alone in mid-September on a beach in the Point Lay region. U.S. Geological Survey walrus biologist Tony Fischbach and Ilisaġvik College student Violet Anniskett were surveying the coast after heavy surf had driven a walrus herd away from the beach. They kept the calf safe during a storm and cared for him for several days. After approval from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the local Iñupiaq community, Point Lay residents and researchers helped move him to the airport. Alaska SeaLife Center responders met him there and escorted him the rest of the way by air and van to Seward, more than 800 miles away.
Anniskett named him Annautaq, an Iñupiaq word meaning “axe,” after her father’s Iñupiaq name, according to United Parks’ Oct. 21 announcement and ClickOrlando. At the center, he became the 12th orphaned Pacific walrus calf treated there since it opened in 1998.
When he arrived in Seward, Annautaq was estimated to be about five months old and weighed around 200 pounds. The center said he was dehydrated and had several superficial wounds, but was alert and in good body condition. Staff started a demanding routine of feeding support, veterinary care, enrichment and close observation around the clock.
The center later said he remained active, ate well and gained weight. Getting ready to travel became part of his daily routine: caregivers gradually introduced him to a transport unit and paired time inside with regular bottle feeds. SeaWorld animal-care and veterinary staff traveled to Alaska to learn his routines before the move. One SeaLife Center specialist accompanied him to Orlando and helped with his first days of care there. The nearly 4,000-mile trip required coordination among both teams, permitting agencies and airlines. The center said the transport went smoothly.
SeaWorld’s Oct. 21 announcement says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined Annautaq could not be released into the wild. The SeaLife Center says USFWS generally considers orphaned walrus calves non-releasable. Its broader explanation notes that calves typically stay with their mothers for one to two years and need intensive, close-contact rehabilitation. United Parks says mothers provide nutrition and help calves develop survival and social behaviors. Those are general background points; the specific determination for Annautaq is reported by SeaWorld.
The SeaLife Center said its experts, other walrus-care professionals and the Fish and Wildlife Service considered Annautaq’s needs when planning his long-term placement. Only four U.S. facilities care for Pacific walruses, the center said. The center said its own facility provides specialized rehabilitation and cares for resident seals and sea lions, but cannot provide a long-term home among walruses. It said SeaWorld Orlando could offer a resident group with young and adult animals. The group includes Uki, a walrus rescued in 2024; Kaboodle, an adult female the center describes as an experienced mother figure; and Garfield, a 44-year-old male rescued as a calf and raised at SeaWorld. The center said Uki is thriving and has formed a close bond with Kaboodle.
That setting offers a possible next chapter, but Annautaq has not joined the group. In an Oct. 26 update, ClickOrlando reported he remained in a 30-day quarantine, receiving up to six bottle feedings a day. It reported he weighed 252 pounds then, after arriving in Seward at about 200 pounds. Caregivers said they would decide when to begin gradual introductions and follow the calf’s pace. The schedule for public viewing would also depend on his care.
The SeaLife Center put the goal simply: “a walrus needs walruses.” For Annautaq, the Oct. 21 news was the naming of a long-term home after weeks of rescue and rehabilitation. The next step is planned, not guaranteed: time in quarantine, followed by introductions if his caregivers believe he is ready. His adjustment will set the pace.
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