‘Feisty, sassy, curious.’ Tacoma’s Joan the walrus has passed away

Joan, a Pacific walrus at Tacoma’s Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, died Thursday, according to zoo officials.

The 24-year-old walrus had been in declining health and died during a medical exam. She had been a resident at the zoo for 13 years.

“This is a very sad day for us,” zoo general curator Karen Goodrowe said in a statement. “Joan held a special place in the hearts of our staff and our community, and it’s a huge loss for all of us.”

Joan stopped eating and responding to her keepers about a week ago, said Karen Wolf, the zoo’s head veterinarian.

On Thursday, Joan’s breathing and heart stopped during an ultrasound exam. Veterinarians and other personnel were unable to resuscitate her.

“Joan was an extraordinary animal, and this is a difficult loss for all of us who cared for her,” Wolf said.

Joan was housed in the Rocky Shores area at the zoo.

“She was feisty, sassy, curious and very expressive,” said Amanda Shaffer, the zoo’s senior staff biologist in the Rocky Shores area. “Joan also was incredibly smart and clearly enjoyed interacting with keepers and learning new things. She was the walrus that children gravitated to, noses and hands pressed up against the glass viewing window, as she swam right by them.”

Joan came to the Tacoma zoo in May 2006 from Brookfield Zoo in Chicago on a breeding loan. Pacific walruses are protected in the United States by the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Point Defiance Zoo has two other walruses, Basilla and Kulusiq. The zoo’s most famous walrus, E.T., died in 2015.

A necropsy — an animal autopsy — will be performed on Joan.

This story was originally published May 31, 2019 at 10:32 AM.