Walkie was born on October 5th, 2013 with a very rare condition that left him unable to swim like other walruses. As his parents cried their eyes out, sure that he would be eaten by a polar bear, Walkie refused to give up, telling his brother:

His brother thought it would be impossible, but over the next few months Walkie never gave up. His persistent courage allowed him to become the world’s only walking walrus. As soon as he could he walked south away from the polar bear regions and kept on going.

He arrived at the Chubu Walkathon on May 18th, 2014 and was immediately adopted as the Walkathon Mascot for his walking prowess.

Re-printed with permission from LikeNagoya.com