This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

SAN DIEGO — A necropsy is planned to determine what caused the death of a 28-year-old walrus at SeaWorld San Diego, park officials said Thursday.

Obie died Wednesday. He was rescued as an orphan in 1987 and was brought in 1997 to San Diego, where he lived with other walruses at the park’s Wild Arctic attraction.

“We are grateful for the many years that Obie was here to educate our guests and to inspire them to conserve and appreciate all animals,” said Keith Yip, SeaWorld San Diego’s curator of mammals.

SeaWorld park officials expect the necropsy results within a few weeks.

An animal advocacy group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, decried what it characterized as Obie’s untimely death.

“As a veterinarian recently exposed, Obie the walrus had nothing to do at SeaWorld but press his mouth against the glass of his tiny, algae-covered tank and repeatedly regurgitate and swallow his food,” said Delcianna Winders, PETA’s deputy general counsel.

“He was bored, he was blind, and he died a decade short of his species’ natural life expectancy,” Winders said.