Renovations mean Mitik is taking a in Texas for a while. Credit: Julie Larsen Maher/Wildlife Conservation Society
An orphaned walrus who arrived in Brooklyn in 2012 has moved to Texas while renovations continue at the New York Aquarium.
Mitik, rescued off the coast of Alaska, joined the Coney Island family just weeks before Superstorm Sandy hit and damaged much of the aquarium.
The walrus was moved to SeaWorld San Antonio on Jan. 14, The New York Times reported. He will stay there until the renovation is completed, a project expected to last about two years.
Mitik weighed 236 pounds when he first came to Brooklyn. He weighed in at 700 pounds. before being shipped out aboard a FedEx Cargo Jet last week, according to the Times.
He suffered from a myriad of health problems as a young calf, but his health issues were resolved before he left for Texas, the aquarium’s vice president and director said.
New York Aquarium, which is operated by the Wildlife Conservation Society, was closed for seven months following major damage from the storm. It reopened last May, but only half of the exhibits were on view as repairs continued.
