Point Lay

I'm Jill Frieders.

A college student near her hometown of Point Lay made a startling discovery last month, a baby walrus sandwiched between two carcasses.

Violet Aniskit was helping with the walrus survey on Alaska's northwest coast.

And I saw the stomach, like, move.

He probably missed his mother.

He would kind of walk around and making, like, a sad little, "Ooo."

After getting the okay from the community of Point Lay, Aniskit and US Geological Survey's walrus researcher Tony Fischbach took the calf to a small cabin.

The 200-pound calf, estimated to be about five months old, eventually warmed up to its human helpers, literally, by cuddling into Fischbach's sleeping bag or laying its head on Aniskit's leg.

The new survey does not include Shungnak, where prices exceeded $26 per gallon in August.

A college student near her hometown of Point Lay made a startling discovery last month, a baby walrus sandwiched between two carcasses.

I was taking photos of all the carcasses so that I can go back and count them.

That's Violet Aneskit, who was helping with the walrus survey on Alaska's northwest coast.

And I saw the stomach, like, move, and I was like, "Wait." Took a step closer, and all of a sudden his eyes opened up.

Aneskit wanted to save the calf, but people in the region hunt walrus for subsistence, so she knew she needed to consult with Point Lay residents first.

It was a hard thing to think of, but I knew my community would make the decision that was best, you know? And I had trust in that.

After getting the okay from Point Lay, Aneskit and US Geological Survey walrus researcher Tony Fischbach took the calf to a small cabin.

Alaska, above the Brooks Range, the kind of west of Barrow, west of, what's the next community there down the coast?

West of Barrow and north of like Point Lay? Yeah,

yeah.

That area, even BLM doesn't really have a camp.