It's been a while since we ran a 'cute animal' story in this space, and lately the selection has been sparse—no more penguins admiring paintings and the like. So slim have the pickings been that we have turned to Smooshi the Walrus to help us out.
Smooshi, who lives at Marineland in Niagara Falls, Canada, weighs about a ton, so it's not a big surprise that her newborn calf, above, weighs about a hundred pounds. About a hundred pounds, because walruses are very protective of their young, and while veterinarians are standing by, they are also not messing with 2,000 pounds of protective mother. They are also waiting to determine the newborn's gender.
In fact, the whole business of dealing with the Marineland walruses seems to be pretty hands-off; a press release from the park says that "Walruses at Marineland each year have voluntarily engaged in natural mating behaviour. Marineland staff members do not interfere, recognizing this is a natural, seasonal behaviour for male and female walruses."
So, stay tuned. And out of Smooshi's way.
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