Ever named a baby walrus?  Here's your chance 
Saturday, September 29th, 2007

Here's some ooey-gooey cute news.  You have a chance to name this adorable baby walrus, who was born on June 12, 2007; the first walrus birth at the New York Aquarium in Brooklyn.  He was born at 115 pounds and 44 inches long by his mother  Kulusiq, AKA "Kulu."  Kulu is a 13-year old Pacific walrus.

"The most remarkable thing about the birth," says senior veterinarian Paul Calle, "was that immediately, Kulu was a spectacular mother.  Within seconds, she was already caring for the baby and attentive to his needs."  Kulu was just a baby when she herself arrived at the New York Aquarium in 1994:  she was a rescue orphaned walrus calf from the waters of St. Lawrence Island.  Her mother - the unnamed baby's grandma - was a casualty of a subsistence hunt.

If you've never named a baby walrus, now's your chance.  The public is choosing the baby walrus's name.  Voting can be done here.  The choices are in the Siberian Yupik language:  Utvak, which means "ice made from snow or cube;" Ukiivak, which means "king island;" Utumek, which means "earth," and Akituusaq, which means "gift given in return."  You have until October 10th at 5:00 p.m. New York time to vote.

And if you've never seen a live walrus birth...well, it's not as bad as it sounds.  Here's Kulu's delivery on "The Walrus Baby's" website.  It's pretty cute.

You can read more about what it takes to help save marine animals and learn more about ocean conservation by visiting the website of the National Marine Life Center.  They even have a section "just for kids!"

   

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