Toba Aquarium's year-old bull calf, Ten, has passed away. The facility now holds 1.2 walruses.
Walrus currently in captivity
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Gosh I'm incredibly sorry for sharing this misinformation everyone, it was very irresponsible of me
as it turns out the title on the articles reporting this were misleading, transfer crates were moved in on the 2nd to prepare the walruses but it seems they were only physically transferred recently --Главное в регионах - Генеральная прокуратура Российской Федерации
Unless there's more confusion on my part with the translation, they seem to officially be in Moscow now
Toba Aquarium confirmed that walrus Tsurara didn't get pregnant over the 2021 mating season, but that Kuu seems to potentially be carrying her fourth calf. Her longest lived pup, Ten, passed away earlier this month at a year old.
幸せな日常に気づくとき | 鳥羽水族館 飼育日記
幸せな日常に気づくとき | 鳥羽水族館 飼育日記
Hi there!
I’m just curious, how are things looking for North America and if there might be any calves? Curious on your thoughts!
From my list:
SWO has both Kaboodle and Aurora (Garfield), Kora and Slowpoke are too young and too old respectively.
SWSD has Kulu, Basilla and Chouchou (Dozer & Mitik)
Canada is unlikely unless Smooshi & Koyuk move to Aquarium du Quebec to join Boris, Lakina & Balzac (as MLC has never done Artificial Insemination) or are requested to join the SSP in the US given unrepresented genetics.
Then Indianapolis has Ginger & Aku (too young for now)
And Six Flags DK, Point Defiance and Vancouver Aquarium all don’t have residents but have potential walrus capacity.
Wasn’t SeaWorld also supposed to bring in a walrus from Kamogawa SW?
I’m just curious, how are things looking for North America and if there might be any calves? Curious on your thoughts!
From my list:
SWO has both Kaboodle and Aurora (Garfield), Kora and Slowpoke are too young and too old respectively.
SWSD has Kulu, Basilla and Chouchou (Dozer & Mitik)
Canada is unlikely unless Smooshi & Koyuk move to Aquarium du Quebec to join Boris, Lakina & Balzac (as MLC has never done Artificial Insemination) or are requested to join the SSP in the US given unrepresented genetics.
Then Indianapolis has Ginger & Aku (too young for now)
And Six Flags DK, Point Defiance and Vancouver Aquarium all don’t have residents but have potential walrus capacity.
Wasn’t SeaWorld also supposed to bring in a walrus from Kamogawa SW?
There could definitely be calves -- at SWO Kaboodle and Garfield are a proven pair, and at SWSD Kulusiq is proven, Chouchou is a young female from a highly successful and productive lineage, and if the park keeps the two bulls then I'm hopeful for Mitik's chances to prove himself out.
The US is heavily focused on pursuing AI (if memory serves I believe Mitik was being trained on collections very early on, while Boris is also trained, as well as other walruses overseas), and they're also intent on importing surplus captive-born animals.
SeaWorld San Diego was going to import 5-year-old cow Lilou, Chouchou's full sister, but I've been watching this permit closely since December 2019 and haven't seen anything from it since January 2020. Not sure if it was ever granted or denied but reception of the application seemed very positive from the little I saw.
That's all I can say without going too deep into speculation territory, nothing much new to add that you didn't already know I'm afraid
Nothing I can say about Canada except that I'll be watching closely and eagerly over the next couple of years
Xuzhou Europark Ocean Polar World is planning on exhibiting walruses, which should be scheduled to arrive at the facility in early 2022 -- the park is holding limited trial operations in January and a grand opening on May 1st
Polar bear fan
Well-Known Member
If you had to guess, do you think Kora will be moved soon like her sister and Aku were at her age? And where do you think she would she go? I know this I just speculation, but not many facilities seem to be housing multiple walruses in North America.There could definitely be calves -- at SWO Kaboodle and Garfield are a proven pair, and at SWSD Kulusiq is proven, Chouchou is a young female from a highly successful and productive lineage, and if the park keeps the two bulls then I'm hopeful for Mitik's chances to prove himself out.
The US is heavily focused on pursuing AI (if memory serves I believe Mitik was being trained on collections very early on, while Boris is also trained, as well as other walruses overseas), and they're also intent on importing surplus captive-born animals.
SeaWorld San Diego was going to import 5-year-old cow Lilou, Chouchou's full sister, but I've been watching this permit closely since December 2019 and haven't seen anything from it since January 2020. Not sure if it was ever granted or denied but reception of the application seemed very positive from the little I saw.
That's all I can say without going too deep into speculation territory, nothing much new to add that you didn't already know I'm afraid
On a different note, is it not getting to a point where the female walrus at Aquarium de Quebec should be separated from her brother and father?
She could be! But like you said that's just speculation, it's anyone's guess. I personally wouldn't mind seeing her join Sea Lion and Otter as a companion to Slowpoke until she passes (Slowpoke currently holds the longevity record for walruses, at 43 years of age), or until Kora reaches maturity. It seemed like Slowpoke did very well when Ginger and Aku briefly joined her -- it never sat right with me that Slowpoke's been housed solitarily since 2017, though I understand there's capacity issues at Wild Arctic.
SeaWorld's Abu Dhabi park is receiving some of its animals from Orlando, and we know that Abu Dhabi will have a walrus exhibit, so I wonder if Kora may go there. I'd say that's incredibly unlikely but I've seen a lot of unexpected things happen in the walrus world over the last few years, if anything else it's just one potential route to keep in the back of our minds, just in case.
The US remains very committed to walruses though, so most likely she'll stay there -- the 2020 marine mammal TAG says that two former AZA facilities and one new facility (does anyone know what facility this could be?!) want to display the species, and there's a very heavy emphasis on acquiring new stock from imports of surplus animals internationally, utilizing artificial insemination, and acquiring rescued animals. There are actually quite a relatively large number of captive-born animals that haven't yet been placed outside of their natal herds, so there are options out there -- and regarding Kora specifically, I would keep an eye on Floki, Koyuk, Fiete, and Balzak (ages 0 to 5) as potential partners for her, if they were to go the import route.
Otherwise, I could see her going to Indianapolis with Aku or San Diego with Mitik and Dozer -- if Kulusiq and/or Chouchou produce pups in the next few years I could imagine the herd being split, maybe with Mitik returning to New York to restart a herd there? That would be an option as well. There's a lot of ways the future could go but I think it can be fun to speculate on the possibilities!
As far as I'm aware Boris is separated from Balzak and Lakina during breeding season
Bulls have shown spermatogenesis as early as 5 years old which is where Balzak is now, but none have ever produced a calf before 9 years of age.Gosh, I'm really sorry for the excessive length of this reply. I have a lot to say for someone that doesn't have any real information, it's one of my many character flaws
Lol, don't be sorry at all. I can speak for most people when I say that the amount of knowledge you have on the walrus population is very impressive and your posts often have lots of "juicy" and interesting info!Gosh, I'm really sorry for the excessive length of this reply. I have a lot to say for someone that doesn't have any real information, it's one of my many character flaws
Mr.Ivory
Well-Known Member
Don't worry I love all of this juicy and very interesting info, and I have the very same flawGosh, I'm really sorry for the excessive length of this reply. I have a lot to say for someone that doesn't have any real information, it's one of my many character flaws
Gosh thanks so much you guys!! It's going to take my ego weeks to come down from those compliments!
I'm really glad to be able to contribute, I've learned so much from being here on Zoochat and it feels great for someone like me to be able to add anything at all to a community full of such knowledgeable people
Recently got a couple of scans back from the Harvard library Some very surprising finds and plenty of new information!
Our first find is of an Atlantic walrus, captured in Greenland and exhibited (in a whopping 200 gallons of water!
) at the Boston Museum in ~1854, taking the record for earliest known live individual to be displayed in the United States! The previous known record was held by six walruses brought into Bridgeport for the Barnum & Bailey Circus in early 1888.
Possibly even more exciting than the 1854 specimen is new information about "Farini's Live Walrus", which was captured in 1883 and exhibited throughout England and Germany. Its history beyond May of 1884 was previously unknown, but according to this scan the individual began its transfer to Boston from Liverpool on September 3rd, 1884 to be exhibited at Austin and Stone's "Monster Museum".
The article also reveals that this individual was exhibited in the Brighton Aquarium for a time, and additionally makes mention of a previously unknown walrus which was captured in 1624 and sailed to England aboard the ship "God Speed" by Thomas Weldon (it's described as being the first brought alive to England, although that record belongs to a 1608 specimen, the earliest known captive walrus).
The really incredible thing about the Farini walrus is that his longevity was absolutely unparalleled for the time -- he was the very first to live a full year in captivity, and even with the incomplete information we have about him now, his record still wouldn't be exceeded for another 26 years! He is also noteworthy as the first known walrus to participate in more advanced training, on nearly the same level as we see today with performing walruses. The list of tricks he knew and their complexity is impressive!
Unrelated to the material provided to me by the Harvard library, but while doing some research I came across information regarding a live walrus exhibited at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1888! They wouldn't house walruses again for another 100 years -- what a hiatus!
I love that no matter how many years you dedicate even to an interest as niche as captive walruses, you can still learn something new every single day
Some very surprising finds and plenty of new information!Our first find is of an Atlantic walrus, captured in Greenland and exhibited (in a whopping 200 gallons of water!
) at the Boston Museum in ~1854, taking the record for earliest known live individual to be displayed in the United States! The previous known record was held by six walruses brought into Bridgeport for the Barnum & Bailey Circus in early 1888.
Possibly even more exciting than the 1854 specimen is new information about "Farini's Live Walrus", which was captured in 1883 and exhibited throughout England and Germany. Its history beyond May of 1884 was previously unknown, but according to this scan the individual began its transfer to Boston from Liverpool on September 3rd, 1884 to be exhibited at Austin and Stone's "Monster Museum".
The article also reveals that this individual was exhibited in the Brighton Aquarium for a time, and additionally makes mention of a previously unknown walrus which was captured in 1624 and sailed to England aboard the ship "God Speed" by Thomas Weldon (it's described as being the first brought alive to England, although that record belongs to a 1608 specimen, the earliest known captive walrus).
The really incredible thing about the Farini walrus is that his longevity was absolutely unparalleled for the time -- he was the very first to live a full year in captivity, and even with the incomplete information we have about him now, his record still wouldn't be exceeded for another 26 years! He is also noteworthy as the first known walrus to participate in more advanced training, on nearly the same level as we see today with performing walruses. The list of tricks he knew and their complexity is impressive!
Unrelated to the material provided to me by the Harvard library, but while doing some research I came across information regarding a live walrus exhibited at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1888! They wouldn't house walruses again for another 100 years -- what a hiatus!
I love that no matter how many years you dedicate even to an interest as niche as captive walruses, you can still learn something new every single day
Recently got a couple of scans back from the Harvard library
Our first find is of an Atlantic walrus, captured in Greenland and exhibited (in a whopping 200 gallons of water!
Possibly even more exciting than the 1854 specimen is new information about "Farini's Live Walrus", which was captured in 1883 and exhibited throughout England and Germany. Its history beyond May of 1884 was previously unknown, but according to this scan the individual began its transfer to Boston from Liverpool on September 3rd, 1884 to be exhibited at Austin and Stone's "Monster Museum".
The article also reveals that this individual was exhibited in the Brighton Aquarium for a time, and additionally makes mention of a previously unknown walrus which was captured in 1624 and sailed to England aboard the ship "God Speed" by Thomas Weldon (it's described as being the first brought alive to England, although that record belongs to a 1608 specimen, the earliest known captive walrus).
The really incredible thing about the Farini walrus is that his longevity was absolutely unparalleled for the time -- he was the very first to live a full year in captivity, and even with the incomplete information we have about him now, his record still wouldn't be exceeded for another 26 years! He is also noteworthy as the first known walrus to participate in more advanced training, on nearly the same level as we see today with performing walruses. The list of tricks he knew and their complexity is impressive!
Unrelated to the material provided to me by the Harvard library, but while doing some research I came across information regarding a live walrus exhibited at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1888! They wouldn't house walruses again for another 100 years -- what a hiatus!
I love that no matter how many years you dedicate even to an interest as niche as captive walruses, you can still learn something new every single day
Perhaps what is often too very delightful is reading that there were those in the past that didn't have the brutal mentality of just killing wildlife, but rather exhibited a more nuturing mentality and understanding.
That's amazing!! Their walrus Bruiser (who arrived at Cincinnati in 1987 and sired three calves before being transferred away in 1996) actually holds the longevity record for captive bulls at the moment! He sadly passed away in 2017, but you got to see a pretty amazing guy
No "news" here but a couple of small miscellaneous updates:
- 5 month old calf Tsumugi (Otaru Aquarium) went into the outdoor exhibit and met her sire, Uchio, for the first time today! It's always great seeing Uchio interact with his calves, especially as he's been known to exhibit behaviors towards them that are typically maternal (toting calves in his foreflippers and carrying them on his back). He's always incredibly gentle and tolerant of them.
- 2020 calf Nong Niw (Safari World) has grown an incredible amount over their recent half-year closure! Their exhibit is currently being rotated between her with her mother Tata, and adult female Yaris with park bull Boria.
- It seems that Fiete (Tierpark Hagenbeck) has recovered much of the body condition and weight that he had lost while struggling with a tusk infection! He had lost what appeared to be a significant amount of weight and looked incredibly sickly in early August, and I'm assuming his tusks will likely still need to be extracted at some point, but he's looking miles better from the little I've seen.
- 5 month old calf Tsumugi (Otaru Aquarium) went into the outdoor exhibit and met her sire, Uchio, for the first time today! It's always great seeing Uchio interact with his calves, especially as he's been known to exhibit behaviors towards them that are typically maternal (toting calves in his foreflippers and carrying them on his back). He's always incredibly gentle and tolerant of them.
- 2020 calf Nong Niw (Safari World) has grown an incredible amount over their recent half-year closure! Their exhibit is currently being rotated between her with her mother Tata, and adult female Yaris with park bull Boria.
- It seems that Fiete (Tierpark Hagenbeck) has recovered much of the body condition and weight that he had lost while struggling with a tusk infection! He had lost what appeared to be a significant amount of weight and looked incredibly sickly in early August, and I'm assuming his tusks will likely still need to be extracted at some point, but he's looking miles better from the little I've seen.
I hope everyone has had an excellent spooky season!!
Now that it's November walrus mating season is right around the corner. We'll start to see an increase in transfers and breeding loans over the next few months, and of course walruses being paired up in the hope of producing calves for the 2023 birthing season.
Going by the last seven years of data, approximately 8 to 20% (most typically around 10%) of breeding cows can be expected to have a confirmed pregnancy each season, with 2 to 6 pregnancies (typically 3) being officially confirmed each year over the aforementioned time period.
2022 is going to be a very interesting year for captive walruses, there's going to be plenty of transfers as existing herds are changed around and new herds are established. What are you guys most looking forward to or curious about the future of captive walruses?
Now that it's November walrus mating season is right around the corner. We'll start to see an increase in transfers and breeding loans over the next few months, and of course walruses being paired up in the hope of producing calves for the 2023 birthing season.
Going by the last seven years of data, approximately 8 to 20% (most typically around 10%) of breeding cows can be expected to have a confirmed pregnancy each season, with 2 to 6 pregnancies (typically 3) being officially confirmed each year over the aforementioned time period.
2022 is going to be a very interesting year for captive walruses, there's going to be plenty of transfers as existing herds are changed around and new herds are established. What are you guys most looking forward to or curious about the future of captive walruses?
Mr.Ivory
Well-Known Member
What I am looking for to is seeing how many calves will be born in the following years, and to see if any imports will happen to improve genetics
Seeing whether the North America population can be salvaged, primarily. Things have not been going well, which is unfortunate as there's plenty of interest in them.
Polar bear fan
Well-Known Member
Ideally all five of our current breeding females are pregnant but that is overly optimistic. I really hope an AI or two can at least be performed with collection from after Pakak’s death. Some imports from Canada, Japan, China and Europe will hopefully happen soon (as long as they don’t go to six flags…). It’d be great if Smooshi, her son, and Boris could be brought together this season. I’m sure another calf would be produced. We’ll have to see though, and hey who knows, maybe Lilou will finally be brought in.