Fast Fact on the Walrus

If you saw the photo gallery I posted earlier today, then you know what I’m up against when it comes to trying to get through the aisles here amid so many incredible taxidermy distractions. I saved this walrus photo to call special attention to it because it’s one of the more unique sights even at SCI.

On closer inspection, you see it’s a reproduction, as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service generally prohibits the importation of ivory. U.S. sportsmen are permitted to hunt walrus in Canada but only Alaska Natives may hunt them in Alaska as walrus can be one of the only sources of food for hundreds of miles. Natives must reside in the state and dwell on the coast of the North Pacific Ocean or the Arctic Ocean and harvest them only for sustenance or for the creation and sale of Native articles and clothing. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, natives must be one-fourth degree or more Alaska Indian, Aleut or Eskimo or be enrolled under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Alaska Natives are not limited by Federal law in the number that can be harvested, providing the harvest is not wasteful.