DOJ Opens Investigation into Deaths of 25 Walrus near Cape Lisburne

A federal investigation is underway into the deaths of 25 walrus near Cape Lisburne, 40 miles northeast of the village of Point Hope, on the Chukchi Sea.

Only Alaska Natives who live in the state may hunt walrus for subsistence or for the creation of handicrafts or clothing. Heads and tusks were removed from some of the animals. Numerous carcasses were missing heads and tusks, leading to suspicions of possible poaching activities and prompting the FWS to open a criminal investigation.

Lara Horstmann-Dehn, a professor of marine biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, said it was possible that the animals died due to natural causes, such as a mass trampling event or even infections, as was suspected during a similar incident in August 2011.

Loeffler and Noel said that to protect the integrity of the investigation they would no longer comment on the incident. Walrus skulls with tusk attached are collectors’ items. Walrus ivory is prized for jewelry and crafts.

“Time is of the essence”, Medeiros said. In this zone they form part of the diet for the natives living along the coastal stretch. Walrus killed exclusively for ivory with the meat wasted is illegal.

Walrus have become a cause for concern as climate warming diminishes summer sea ice. Pacific walruses migrate between the Chukchi and the Bering Seas in tandem with the seasonal cycle of melting and expansion of sea ice. Sea ice and glaciers in the Arctic are receding, the permafrost is melting, and sea levels are rising. In recent years, sea ice has receded north beyond the shallow continental shelf to water that exceeds 2 miles deep, beyond the diving range of an adult walrus.

The animals feed on clams, sea snails and other food on the ocean bottom but can not swim indefinitely.

Local monitors from the village of Point Lay are expected to go to the site to collect more information about the dead walruses, MacCracken said. They were found near Point Lay, the same place where 35,000 walrus were spotted on shore September 2.

When in massive herds, walrus can stampede and trample their young if startled by an airplane, hunter or polar bear.