​Beloved walrus at Washington state zoo dies

TACOMA, Wash. -- Officials at a Washington state zoo say a much-loved 33-year-old walrus has died after surgery.

The Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma told CBS affiliate KIRO a Pacific walrus named E.T. didn't recover from anesthesia Thursday after a two-hour surgery to drain an severely infected abscess in his neck.

"At age 33, he was a geriatric walrus with multiple medical issues," head veterinarian Dr. Karen Wolf said. "He had been ill for many weeks with a serious bacterial infection. He had not eaten for 17 days, and he suffered from painful arthritis that made it difficult for him to haul out of the water."

Zoo Deputy Director John Houck called the walrus a "well-loved member" of the zoo who "delighted generations of visitors."

"He leaves a legacy of helping people learn about walruses and other Arctic mammals and the perils they face due to climate change," Houck said.

E.T. arrived in August 1982 from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, after oil workers spotted him wandering alone. They rescued him and named him after Steven Spielberg's movie extraterrestrial.

The zoo has two other walruses.