Friday, September 28, 2007
Poopsie!!
Finally! I don't have to keep my lips sealed any longer!
As I've typed about at great, gleeful length I am a volunteer diver at the New York Aquarium. There are about a million reasons why that is the coolest thing to be, but none is so cool as this.
I got to meet the baby walrus months ago. Only days after he was born... I got to see him. I'd like to say I got to hug him and pet him and call him George, but if I'd tried that his 1,300lbs, protective mom would've turn me into pate in about two seconds.
It's been hard not to talk about as A) I'm so damned talkative and B) he's so damned cute. I have kept my mouth shut, though. For a walrus to be born in captivity is exceedingly rare and for that calf to survive is rarer still. The dedicated, passionate, and experienced aquarium staff wanted to focus all available energy on making sure this fat, sweet, monster of a baby was safe and healthy, not to squander any attention at all on organizing PR.
And so they did. A keeper has been posted to watch mother and child around the clock, logging everything they do every minute of every day. Not the same keeper, of course. They rotate on 36 hour non-stop shifts. (Actually, I think it's every 15 minutes or 1/2 hour they change off.) They watched with concern as mom trained son to hold his breath by forcing him and holding him underwater. They watched with interest as he gained and gained and GAINED weight. And all the time I saw them, they watched with a smile, because it's a lil walrus and how friggin cute is that?
One of the exhibit tanks was meticulously cleaned over the course of weeks upon weeks to "baby-proof" the place. Not as easy as zip-tying the cabinet doors and plugging the wall sockets, the Wildlife Conservation Society workers ensured that every square inch of enclosure was free of anything a baby walrus could possibly find with which he could hurt himself. Then Dick and Pat, the Dive Coordinators, jumped into the tank to double, triple, and quadruple check.
Then, well, then I don't know. I've heard stories about how he, being an obviously strong-willed and curious, little dude ignored his yowling mom when they opened all the gates between the safety of the nursery enclosure where they've been for the past three months and the big pool. Word is he ventured out almost immediately and dove into water he'd never seen before with little reserve. I've also heard about how he learned very quickly what glass is when he plowed headfirst into the display window, nearly cold-clocking himself. But I wasn't there for those events and I'll always regret that.
I did get to see him, though. If you were part of the volunteer team, so would you have. But you're not (at least not yet), so you can go see him now. You can also vote on his name.
I voted for Akituusaq. I like the idea that the aquarium is getting to enjoy Little Dude's company as a karmic reward for the work they do.
As I've typed about at great, gleeful length I am a volunteer diver at the New York Aquarium. There are about a million reasons why that is the coolest thing to be, but none is so cool as this.
I got to meet the baby walrus months ago. Only days after he was born... I got to see him. I'd like to say I got to hug him and pet him and call him George, but if I'd tried that his 1,300lbs, protective mom would've turn me into pate in about two seconds.
It's been hard not to talk about as A) I'm so damned talkative and B) he's so damned cute. I have kept my mouth shut, though. For a walrus to be born in captivity is exceedingly rare and for that calf to survive is rarer still. The dedicated, passionate, and experienced aquarium staff wanted to focus all available energy on making sure this fat, sweet, monster of a baby was safe and healthy, not to squander any attention at all on organizing PR.
And so they did. A keeper has been posted to watch mother and child around the clock, logging everything they do every minute of every day. Not the same keeper, of course. They rotate on 36 hour non-stop shifts. (Actually, I think it's every 15 minutes or 1/2 hour they change off.) They watched with concern as mom trained son to hold his breath by forcing him and holding him underwater. They watched with interest as he gained and gained and GAINED weight. And all the time I saw them, they watched with a smile, because it's a lil walrus and how friggin cute is that?
One of the exhibit tanks was meticulously cleaned over the course of weeks upon weeks to "baby-proof" the place. Not as easy as zip-tying the cabinet doors and plugging the wall sockets, the Wildlife Conservation Society workers ensured that every square inch of enclosure was free of anything a baby walrus could possibly find with which he could hurt himself. Then Dick and Pat, the Dive Coordinators, jumped into the tank to double, triple, and quadruple check.
Then, well, then I don't know. I've heard stories about how he, being an obviously strong-willed and curious, little dude ignored his yowling mom when they opened all the gates between the safety of the nursery enclosure where they've been for the past three months and the big pool. Word is he ventured out almost immediately and dove into water he'd never seen before with little reserve. I've also heard about how he learned very quickly what glass is when he plowed headfirst into the display window, nearly cold-clocking himself. But I wasn't there for those events and I'll always regret that.
I did get to see him, though. If you were part of the volunteer team, so would you have. But you're not (at least not yet), so you can go see him now. You can also vote on his name.
I voted for Akituusaq. I like the idea that the aquarium is getting to enjoy Little Dude's company as a karmic reward for the work they do.
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