SAN DIEGO — Walrus Awareness Week focuses on educating people on the plight of the species.
Denise Higginbotham, senior zoological specialist at SeaWorld San Diego, said there are only 14 walruses in zoos in North America, and SeaWorld San Diego has five of them.
“Just getting to see their faces every morning, it’s the best,” she said.
One of Higginbotham’s favorite walruses to work with every day is named Mitik, who is charming and known for both his friendly personality and big appetite. Higginbotham said Mitik will suck down 100 pounds of food every day.
Mitik was rescued by fishermen in Alaska as a young calf: orphaned, dehydrated and in poor health. Now, he’s helping to protect wild walrus populations. Scientists are able to use Mitik to get accurate measurements from drone footage without disturbing wild herds, which can cause deadly stampedes.
“Really get a good idea of the body condition and size of the wild walruses because we have kind of a marker for that size with these guys,” Higginbotham said.
Scientists say climate change is their biggest threat in the wild, as it melts the Arctic ice they rely on for food and migration.
Mitik will hopefully breed with female walruses as part of a nationwide plan shared by the Walrus Conservation Consortium for walruses in human care.
Marina Enikeeva, senior trainer at Wild Arctic, said all the walruses have their own individual personalities. One of her favorite walruses is the baby of the family, named Chou Chou.
“She’s really smart. She’s sassy,” Enikeeva said. “She loves to be in everyone’s business.”
Chou Chou is currently participating in a research study to help scientists learn more about walruses’ hearing threshold.
Enikeeva said it’s a special thing when visitors come face-to-whiskers with their walruses, especially when she can teach them how crucial those whiskers are to them finding food in the wild.
“Those whiskers are actually highly sensitive tactile organs supplied with blood vessels and nerves,” she said. “And Chou Chou here can actually move each one of them individually, just like having little fingers on your face.”
Walrus Awareness Week is Dec. 4 through Dec. 10 this year. Higginbotham hopes watching their walruses has a profound impact on people.
“We need everybody to be on board with conservation, and that’s the smallest thing,” she said. “If somebody comes to SeaWorld and meets Mitik and all of a sudden, they’re like, ‘I love walruses, I need to care for them,’ that’s what we want to do. And that’s our role as ambassadors for these guys.”
Mitik was named after the daughter of the fisherman who found him. The SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Conservation Fund helps wildlife and wild places in the U.S. and in more than 60 other countries.