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A California resident heard it crying while walking near Coastways Beach and immediately called local animal control authorities. The next day, workers with the Monterey Bay Aquarium found her hungry and thin, weighing in at a mere two pounds.
Upon arrival, Pup 681 (as she’s now called) was quickly given food and eventually transported to Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, where she was assigned a team of veterinarians and scientists who are working to teach this otter, well, how to be an otter. And that’s no easy task, by the way.
They had to teach her how to float:
And how to swim:
See additional pictures and read updates on her progress - She now has a name and a new home. Also see link to the Monterey Aquarium otter live webcam.
They also had to teach her other skills like grooming, foraging and, of course, feeding:
But to ensure the pup receives absolutely everything she needs, the aquarium arranged a rotating schedule of six-to-eight animal care experts to provide for her 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
It might seem like a lot for just one animal, but the southern sea otter is endangered and scientists are having trouble boosting the population back up to where it should be. But thanks to the efforts of the two aquariums, they’ve been able to save more than 600 of them since 1984.
It might seem like a lot for just one animal, but the southern sea otter is endangered and scientists are having trouble boosting the population back up to where it should be. But thanks to the efforts of the two aquariums, they’ve been able to save more than 600 of them since 1984.
When you see something like this, you know all that effort is more than worthwhile:
Source:
http://www.theloop.ca/rescued-baby-otter-could-be-the-most-adorable-thing-youve-ever-seen/
UPDATE ON PUP 681
Southern sea otter pup #681, rescued and raised by the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Sea Otter Program, is now settling in to her new home at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.
Source: https://newsroom.montereybayaquarium.org/file?fid=545a81f8c804674ba90041c9
Further UPDATES
Welcome to the Shedd Aquarium, Pup 681!
Source:
http://www.sheddaquarium.org/blog/2014/November/Welcome-Pup-681/
Chicago's Orphaned Otter 'Pup 681' Gets A Real Name
She was named LUNA. The name Luna is meant to signify California's Half Moon Bay, near where the pup was rescued.
Source
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/12/12/370328591/chicagos-orphaned-otter-pup-681-gets-a-real-name
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Sea otters at the Monterey Aquarium
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals-and-experiences/exhibits/sea-otters
- Sea otters have the world's densest fur—up to a million hairs per square inch!
- You have 100,000 hairs or less on your whole head.
- Sea otters live in loose-knit groups called rafts. Otters in rafts often sleep side-by-side, wrapped in strands of kelp so that they don't drift far from each other.
Why otters are the Eco-Warriors of the Pacific West Coast
Sea otters are at the top of the marsh food chain and eat large species of crabs. These crabs feed on small “micro-grazers” that help to control algae.
Algae has the potential to take over an entire marine ecosystem, taking up all the water’s oxygen and blocking out sunlight for plants and animals.
The California coasts are especially vulnerable to algal blooms because of agricultural run off, but a balanced ecosystem can naturally work to check algae growth.
When sea otters were removed from this marine ecosystem, coastal crab populations were allowed to explode. These crabs then decimated the micro-grazer population, giving algae the freedom to grow unchecked. When this happened, algae then grew over the native eelgrass and choked it out completely. This left many marine species without a major food source, or a place to live.
However, when the otters were returned, in time this problem began to right itself.
Read more:
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/sea-otters-eco-warriors-of-californias-coast/
Sea Otter Live Cam
at the Monterey Aquarium
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