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© WCS/Julie Larsen Maher
As Curator of Aquatic Health, Kate McClave manages the health care of all Aquarium residents, from turtles to octopi. In addition to tending to tentacles and healing eels, she also considers herself a walrus mommy.
Kate was part of the Aquarium team that rescued orphaned walrus calves from Alaska in 1994. “After seventeen hours on an eighteen-foot aluminum boat, we found Kulu alone on the ice,” she recalls.
After she helped transport the babies to their new home, Kate joined the team of surrogate walrus parents. She monitored the calves’ progress and stayed in close contact with them. “We gave round-the-clock feeds for eight months, at which point they started to eat whole fish, supplemented by milk. Getting them to take the bottle was the biggest hurdle—we had to do all sorts of tricks. One was to put the bottle through a wetsuit arm to recreate the feel of the blubbery walrus body!”
Kate and the keepers’ blubbery touch paid off, and the babies grew up strong and healthy. So how does this surrogate walrus mom feel now to find herself a grandma?
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of Kulu. She has done everything naturally, the way she would in the wild. Not only did she survive and become a fully developed grown-up, now she’s continuing her life cycle. Clearly she’s doing well here. It’s also a testament to our efforts at the Aquarium: We provided the right atmosphere, by giving her a good social group, and good care.” |
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