Walrus King Odin of Hamburg has gone to Valhalla

 

Odin and friends. You can see that his eyes are blind here 

Odin at dinnertime.

How sad, that the magnificent walrus Odin of Hagenbeck Zoo in Hamburg Germany has died. 30 year old Odin had some gastrointestinal issues that would not resolve, so he was anesthetized for examination, and did not come out of the sleep. His death occurred on March 19. 

The usual food, fish.

In captivity, walruses are expected to live 20 to 30 years, but they can live up to 40, so Odin was elderly.

Blind Odin waits his turn. 

Odin was  the only successful breeding walrus bull in Europe. His four living children are Olivia born in 2008 in Moscow, now at Dolfinarium Harderwijk in the Netherlands, Thor born in Hagenbeck to mother Dyna in 2014 now in Paira Daiza, Fiete born to Palosa in Hagenbeck in 2019 and still there, and Floki born in 2021 in Pairi Daiza and still there. 

Thor as a baby in Hagenbeck

Baby Thor and his mother Dyna in 2014

Hello from Baby Fiete, 2019. He's a big boy now, like his father.

Baby Fiete in 2019

Loki, born in 2015, lived only two years. Darling Snorre born in 2018, lived only a few months, and an unnamed baby died at birth in 2022 in Pairi Daiza. 

Walrus feeding in 2019

Odin was born in the wild in 1996, and lived in the Moscow Zoo from 1996 to 2013, when he and three females moved to Hagenbeck Zoo. 

Fish for two

Walruses are known to have very poor eyesight, but very good noses. Odin was completely blind, and was kept separate from his babies and their mothers, for fear he would not see the youngster and step on them. 

Very few zoos keep walruses as they are very difficult to keep. And yet, the walrus is the signature animal at the Hagenbeck Zoo, and always has been.

In Europe, Pairi Daiza in Belgium has six walruses, including Thor and Flocki, both offspring of Odin. They started keeping walruses in 2020.  Dolfinarium Harderwijk in the Netherlands has three walruses, including Odin's daughter Olivia. As we said, Hagenbeck now has two walruses, mother and son, Palusa and Fiete.

In the US, the Indianapolis Zoo has two walruses. Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma Washington has two walruses. SeaWorld Orlando in Florida has three walruses. SeaWorld San Diego in California also has three walruses.

Worldwide, Russia has 8 facilities that keep walruses and Japan has 9. China has 23 facilities that keep walruses. There are a few scattered walrus homes, one each in Egypt, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, and UAE. 

Odin creeping towards the water. Splash. 

At Hagenbeck, the walruses share the Eismeer area with the polar bears and the penguins. There is an underwater viewing area. 

Walrus and polar bears with Heinrich Hagenbeck in 1930 at the zoo.

Walrus underwater at Hagenbeck. Maybe Palosa?

The death of Odin leaves just two walruses at Hagenbeck, Palosa and her son Fiete. 

Baby Fiete waves goodbye.

  

Underwater viewing at hagenbeck.

Odin will be greatly missed by his keepers, and his many fans.