Cannot stop watching. If I watch long enough, perhaps he will find his bukkit.
But seriously this is pretty much the most exciting press release we’ve received all week. From explore.org:
On
On a tiny island in north Bristol Bay, a large population of walruses
from as far away from Russia, gather as they have for thousands of
years. The main difference is this year people from all over the
world will be watching the 2-ton sea mammals sort through their
summer routines courtesy of a live camera installation from
philanthropic media organization explore.org and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. People can
watch from a variety of camer angles hosted on explore.org/walrusWith mothers and calves out of sight for the summer,
following the winter mating season, male walruses congregate
on Round Island in the thousands. The 160-meter-wide island was
scheduled to be closed to visitors this year due to budget
constraints, but a grant from explore.org founder Charles Annenberg Weingarten provided
enough resources to keep the habitat open for visitors through
mid-August as in previous years.“The walrus is a mythical giant of the seas,” said
Weingarten. “To most, the creature is a caricature that will only
be seen at a zoo or in a depiction from mass media. We are honored
to bring people up close to observe the walrus in their natural
habitat and we are thankful for the opportunity to partner with the
Alaska Department of Fish and Game to preserve this wonderful the
pearl of our planet”.explore.org and ADF&G’s Walrus Islands State Game Sanctuary staff
established four cameras along the rocky shore of the island’s most
popular haul outs. Two ADF&G representatives will contribute
blogs and provide context to viewers watching remotely via live
chats and within the comments section of the cam
pages.“These cams help us extend our mission of conservation and
education,” said Maria Gladziszewski, Acting Deputy Director of
ADF&G’s Division of Wildlife Conservation. “We are thrilled to
share our work with a larger community of people and grateful to
explore.org for the
opportunity.”Viewers will be able to observe the primary haul out
location for the walruses at Round Island on the Main Beach cam.
Along the cliffs you can see nesting seabirds, and out at sea are
approaching walrus and other marine mammals such as whales, sea
lions and seals. On the First Beach Cam walruses can often be seen
with their heads submerged, chiming at the base of the central
rock. Pigeon guillemots, and other seabirds are common visitors to
this rock and cove, and up on the cliff faces are nesting pelagic
cormorants and puffins.The new cams are part of explore.org’s Pearls of the Planet initiative, a portfolio of live video feeds from around
the world to help people everywhere deepen their connection to
nature and reflect on their role in it. “When people are inspired
to fall in love with the world again, they are more likely to be
better stewards of the planet,” said Charlie Annenberg, founder
of explore.org and VP of the Annenberg Foundation, which is underwriting
the live cams and a team of cam operators and bloggers to help
educate people on these and other endangered species.More on the Walruses: The Pacific walrus is a large pinniped (i.e., the group
that includes seals, sea lions and fur seals) that lives in the
Bering and Chukchi seas where they haul out on sea ice and along
the mainland coast and islands of Russia and Alaska. Walruses are
strong bodied and have a very thick, tough hide that can be an inch
thick. The most distinctive feature of walruses, both male and
female, is their two ivory tusks, which are long upper canine teeth
that grow throughout their life. Walruses also have hundreds of
short, strong, highly sensitive whiskers that they use to search
the seafloor for their food. Adult males, or bulls, are up 12
feet long and may weigh up to 2 tons; although females are smaller
they can weigh more than 1 ton. Bulls are identified by their
larger size, broad muzzle, heavier tusks, and many large bumps on
their neck and shoulders called “bosses”.
More at explore.org.
