Walrus In The Yukon

From Bristol Bay north to the southern mouth of the Yukon walrus are rather numerous for a time in spring, just as the ice breaks up, and again in fall, in September and October, before the coast becomes ice-bound. Some winter off the coast between Nunevak Island and Bristol Bay. The coast between the Yukon mouth and Golovina Bay is rarely visited by them now, although they were formerly common there in fall and spring.

In Bering Straits they are very numerous every fall and spring, moving south before the ice-pack in autumn, and following it as it retreats into the Arctic in the spring. During nearly all the year a few individuals, mostly males, are found about Walrus Island, off Saint Paul, of the Fur Seal group, where they were formerly abundant. They are also about Saint Matthew Island nearly or quite all of the year, and occur in great abundance about Saint Lawrence Island during the migrations. At the latter periods they are also numerous along the Siberian coast of Bering Sea and the straits. North of the straits they are widely spread in summer, but keep in the close vicinity of the ice pack. During the summer of 1881 they were to be found along the Siberian coast west to Cape North, and thence north to Wrangel and Herald Islands, and along the pack easterly to the Alaskan coast, near Cape Lisburne, and thence north to Point Barrow, but they were not seen away from the vicinity of the ice.

According to the natives living along this strip of coast [Kuskikwim Bay], the young walruses are born early in spring, when the ice breaks up, during April and May. They report the walruses as being very timid and inoffensive animals at all other seasons, but say that the hunters give a female walrus with young a wide berth at this time. The female becomes very savage, and, like a bear with her cub, she has only to catch sight of an intruder upon her domain to make an attack.

When the Russians first occupied the Fur Seal Islands the walrus was very numerous there, but the seal hunters soon drove them from Saint Paul and Walrus skin roofs for Eskimo houses have become rare on St. Lawrence Island. They let through a pleasant, yellowish light. Below, a walrus-skin boat puts out to sea. its passengers, perhaps. Seeking other walruses for their food. Walrus tusks that furnish ivory for harpoon heads, sled runners, boat keels and carvings for sale to the white people. Some of the clever ivory carvings included little animals, cribbage boards, paperweights, an ashtray and a necklace of Saint George.

By: davidbunch

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