A 28-year-old walrus died at SeaWorld San Diego Wednesday after living at the park for 18 years, SeaWorld confirmed.
The walrus – named “Obie” – had been living alongside other walruses at the park’s Wild Arctic attraction.
“As an ambassador for arctic animals, Obie helped enhance the awareness of walruses for the more than 40 million guests who have visited Wild Arctic,” SeaWorld said in a statement.
SeaWorld said Obie had been rescued as an orphan in 1987 and came to SeaWorld San Diego in 1997.
A necropsy will be performed on Obie to help determine his cause of death, the park said. Those results will take several weeks.
“The passing of any animal is sad for the SeaWorld zoological team,” said SeaWorld San Diego Curator of Mammals Keith Yip. “We are grateful for the many years that Obie was here to educate our guests and to inspire them to conserve and appreciate all animals. We will all miss Obie, but are thankful for the joy he has brought us and our guests.”
After the news of the walrus’ death, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) released this statement, in part, from PETA Foundation Deputy General Counsel Delcianna Winders.
“As a veterinarian recently exposed, Obie the walrus had nothing to do at SeaWorld but press his mouth against the glass of his tiny, algae-covered tank and repeatedly regurgitate and swallow his food. He was bored, he was blind, and he died a decade short of his species' natural life expectancy,” said Winders.
