Ookie
female Pacific walrus (O. r. divergens)
wild caught in 1959
deceased in 1962
Ancestors and Descendants
No known related animals.
Transfer History
capture 1959 in Gambell, Alaska
transfer 1959 to Woodland Park Zoo
transfer 1959-Jul-31 to New York Aquarium
death 1962 at New York Aquarium
Physical Data
The dates listed here generally represent the time at which the measurements were published, not necessarily the date on which they were taken.
Weight
1959-Jul-31: 173 lbs
1959: 290 lbs
1960: >500 lbs
Image Gallery
No images available at this time.
Notes and Information
The 1959 annual report of the New York Zoological Society included a short passage thanking the Woodland Park Zoo for housing the aquarium's recently collected Alaskan pinnipeds for a temporary five-week period. It is not outright stated that this included Ookie and the male pup she was collected with, but it can be reasonably assumed.
Ookie's name is onomatopoetic, resembling the sound of her vocalizations.
This walrus passed away in 1962 following a prolonged period of illness stemming from a tusk abcess, which developed when she was a year and a half old. Having lost her appetite, she had not grown in weight during the last year of her life. She was estimated to be three years and five months old at death.
References
New York Zoological Society. (1962). Annual Report of the New York Zoological Society, Vol. 67, pp. 37, 39-40. Retrieved from Archive.org.