This is the true story of four walruses that were captured as babies in Alaska and raised to adulthood in an oceanarium in Southern California.
Priscilla, Petula, Woofy and Farouk are the first young walruses to have been kept alive under domesticated conditions for a long period of time. The fact that three are still alive today is largely due to the extraordinary care and attention they received at the hands of their dedicated keepers.
Although the keepers could rely somewhat on their experiences with dolphins and whales, the process of rearing young walruses was almost unique. The initial challenges of capture and of feeding the baby walruses were replaced by the new and more serious problem of infection. They were far more susceptible to diseases of both men and animals in the temperate climate of California. As they grew older, a new difficulty arose when three of the walruses began wearing down their tusks on the sides and bottom of their pool.
Lou Jacobs, Jr. describes in detail these and other problems that accompanied the upbringing of Woofy, Farouk, Petula and Priscilla. A large number of excellent photographs substitute for our being able to observe them in real life, and show particularly well the individuality of the four walruses and the appeal of the walruses in general.
