Orphaned Baby Sea Otter Rescued
In October a sea otter pup that had been orphaned was rescued from a beach in California. The camera friendly critter has been given a new start in the Midwest of the United States and will be receiving 24 hour care at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. If you are wondering how on earth they managed to find an orphaned sea otter, it’s a bit of a long story, fortunately that is what we’re here for.
Just out for an evening stroll
When the baby sea otter was rescued, it was just a week old and weighed in at less than a kilogram. An individual who was taking an evening stroll along the beach between Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties in California heard the newborn otter’s cries. The next day officials from the wildlife department visited that site and were unable to locate the mother. As a result the pup was determined to be an orphan and was transported to California’s Monterey Bay Aquarium where she was given the provisional name Pup 681.
Sea otters need a lot of food
For a newborn pup she was quite small and because she and her mother had been separated for at least 16 hours, she was in urgent need of calories officials at the aquarium said. Typically these furry animals remain with their mothers until they are eight months old. Fathers usually disappear soon after mating. In order to maintain their metabolic rate and body temperature, sea otters need to eat at least a quarter of their body weight each day.
She is now doing well
After the pup’s condition stabilised at Monterey she was then moved to her more permanent home in Chicago. Her caretakers say she is doing well and achieving all the right milestones, like eating solid food such as clams and shrimp. She has also learned to regulate her body temperature and groom herself by climbing on to towels to dry off after she has been for a swim. Aquarium officials say Pup 681 will ultimately get a less clinical name. Currently staff are in the process of selecting a number of choices for a permanent name which both members of the aquarium and the general public will have the opportunity to vote on a spokesperson said.
The species is threatened
Southern sea otters tend to be found off California’s coast. The species was almost hunted to extinction in order to feed voracious demand for fur during the 18th and 19th centuries. In the 20th century the species began to make a comeback, but according to the U.S Endangered Species List they are still “threatened”. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates the population of the sub species at approximately 2,944, barely unchanged from the previous year’s estimate.
