Olga II

female Pacific walrus (O. r. divergens)

wild caught in 1982

deceased on October 18th, 2022

Ancestors and Descendants

Offspring

♂ Nikolai (birth 1995-Jun-17)

♂ Boika (birth 2003-Jun-22)

Transfer History

  1. capture 1982 in Alaska, United States

  2. transfer 1982 to SeaWorld Orlando

  3. transfer 1985-Feb-26 to Dolfinarium Harderwijk

  4. death 2022-Oct-18 at Dolfinarium Harderwijk

Physical Data

The dates listed here generally represent the time at which the measurements were published, not necessarily the date on which they were taken.

Weight

  • 1982: 60 kg · 132 lb

  • 1987: 500 kg · 1,102 lb

  • 1988: 550 kg · 1,212 lb

  • 1988: 551 kg · 1,214 lb

  • 1988: 537 kg · 1,183 lb

  • 1991: 750 kg · 1,653 lb

  • 1994-Mar: 790 kg · 1,741 lb

Length

  • 1988: 259 cm · 8 ft 5 in

Diet

"The animals were fed 3 to 6 times per day on an average diet of 35% herring (Clupea harengus; approx. 8880 kJ/kg), 26% mackerel (Scomber scombrus; approx. 9550 kJ/kg), 9% sprat (Sprattus sprattus; approx. 10.400 kJ/kg), 2% whiting (Merlangius merlangus; approx. 4750 kJ/kg), and 28% squid (Illex spp.; approx. 1000 kJ/kg) by weight. Vitamins (Seavit>, 1 tablet per 2.5 kg of food) were added to this thawed diet." (R. A. Kastelein et al, 2000)

  • 1986: 4,500 kg · 9,920 lb annually

  • 1994: 7,000 kg · 15,432 lb annually

Image Gallery

No images available at this time.

Identifiers

Local

Other

Notes and Information

The images found here have all been gathered either from this facility's official resources or news articles.

Olga was estimated to be two and a half years old upon arrival to the Dolfinarium, and had been living at SeaWorld for a year and a half.

There is the possibility that this animal's ID while housed at SeaWorld may have been SWC-Ord-8230 "Zappa", rather than the listed identifiers.

One source states this walrus arrived at Dolfinarium Harderwijk in December of 1985, although official documents and media publications refute this.

Olga was euthanized on October 18th due to quality of life concerns while suffering from various conditions which included "osteoarthritis in the shoulders, inflammation in the whiskers, [and] persistent stomach complaints". Her body was transferred to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University to undergo a necropsy.

References

  • 1985-Feb-26. Leidsch Dagblad. Dolfijnen uit Florida overgevlogen. Retrieved from Erfgoed Leiden [archive]

  • 1989. Kathy Irene Fisher. Food habits and digestive efficiency in walrus, Odobenus rosmarus. Retrieved from University of Manitoba [archive].

  • 2000-Jan. R. A. Kastelein et al. Food consumption and body weight of captive Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens). Retrieved from researchgate.net [archive]

  • 2014-Dec-15. Ronald A. Kastelein et al. Behavior and body mass changes of a mother and calf Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) during the suckling period. Retrieved from Wiley Online Library.

  • 2020-Mar-20. Rijksoverheid. Besluit op Wob-verzoek over dolfinarium. Retrieved from Rijksoverheid.nl [archive].

  • 2022-Oct-19. Chris Ververs. Dolfinarium Harderwijk in rouw: iconische walrus Olga is niet meer. Retrieved from de Gelderlander.