Walruses are Arctic pinnipeds with very specific thermal and social requirements that make their welfare in zoo settings challenging, requiring cold water facilities and appropriate group management.
Walrus welfare in captivity is highly demanding to achieve adequately because of the combination of extreme cold water requirements, large body size, complex social dynamics involving tusked animals, and specialized dietary needs. Facilities that cannot maintain appropriately cold water cause thermal stress in walruses adapted to Arctic conditions. Social management of animals with large, potentially dangerous tusks requires careful monitoring of dominance interactions and intervention capacity. The small number of walruses in captivity globally reflects both the difficulty of maintaining appropriate welfare conditions and the rarity of animals suited to captivity. Given these challenges, walrus welfare is best served by a precautionary approach to the acquisition of new animals, paired with investment in wild population protection and Arctic habitat conservation.