E.T., ‘the best walrus ever,’ gets a bronze tribute at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium

The Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium has a new addition — a 2,150-pound sculpture of one its most beloved former residents.

Zoo officials unveiled the bronze sculpture of E.T. the walrus on Monday morning.

E.T., who came to Tacoma as an orphaned calf, died in 2015 at age 33.

The new sculpture of the late Pacific walrus sits at the front gate to the zoo.

E.T. is fondly remembered by both zoo patrons and employees, Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium officials said in a news release. Lisa Triggs, a senior staff biologist who cared for E.T., called him “the best walrus ever,” the zoo’s press release said.

The sculpture of E.T. is bigger than the walrus was in life, but it weighs less. The walrus was known to grow to more than 4,000 pounds during mating season, eclipsing the weight of his bronze likeness.

The Zoo Society raised $100,000 of the $148,500 total sculpture budget from businesses and community members, the zoo’s news release said. The remaining costs were paid for by Metro Parks Tacoma’s public art program, as well as the zoo’s bond fund budget.

The monument to E.T. is the work of sculptor Matthew Gray Palmer of Friday Harbor.

The zoo currently has three other Pacific walruses: Joan, Basilla and Kulusiq.

This story was originally published September 18, 2017 at 3:47 PM with the headline "E.T., ‘the best walrus ever,’ gets a bronze tribute at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium."