Researchers sheltered an orphaned walrus calf through an Arctic storm

U.S. Geological Survey walrus biologist Tony Fischbach and Ilisaġvik College student Violet Anniskett, who lives in Point Lay, were sampling walrus carcasses after a storm when they found a live male calf hidden between two dead adults. Gulls were circling and two polar bears were active nearby, Alaska's News Source reported on October 6, 2026.

With approval from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the local Iñupiaq community, the pair walked the calf more than half a mile to an abandoned building and stayed with him for nearly three days while the storm blew through. Anniskett named him Annautaq, the Iñupiaq word for axe, in honor of her father's Iñupiaq name. The Native Village of Point Lay helped get him to the airport, and he reached the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward on September 14, more than 800 miles away.

Staff found him alert and in good body condition, though dehydrated. He is only the 12th orphaned Pacific walrus calf the center has treated since 1998. Calves that bond with people cannot go back to the wild, so after he stabilized he left for a permanent home, where he is expected to live as an animal ambassador. The center has said it will name the facility soon.