What's the score with tusks on captive walrus? Every picture of a wild walrus I have seen has tusks but hardly ever on a captive one. Do they remove to prevent accidents?
Tusks are often removed to prevent infection and inflammation of the root canal. Walruses often rub their tusks down to the gums. This is part boredom that leads to stereotypical behavior and part natural behavior. Hamburg kept a female (Antje) with very long tusks for many years. Marine Land of the Pacific had a very large male with full grown tusks in the seventies and eighties. The Sea World Parks have also kept some walruses with tusks.
I've seen walrusses in four institutions in japan this summer, with the exception of two animals, all of them had tusks, especially the breeding bull at Kamogawa Seaworld has very impressive ones ! All four japanese instutions with walrusses are working with them and doing shows with the walrusses, so they are not bored really.
