A baby sea otter has gotten to the “otter” side of a scary situation — and his new home is celebrating his recent arrival.
On Thursday, Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium announced a new addition to its Regenstein Sea Otter Nursery following the move in of a male northern sea otter found alone and malnourished in Alaska.
The otter, tentatively named Pup EL2306, was discovered in late October in Seldovia, Alaska, where it was heard “vocalizing in distress with no mother in sight” while being aggressively approached by another otter, the Shedd Aquarium said in a statement.
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A baby sea otter kept at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.
The Shedd Aquarium
The Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) discovered the baby otter dehydrated and malnourished, rescued the tiny animal and admitted it to the Wildlife Response Program on October 31, where it remained until it was brought in by the Shedd Aquarium.
“At Shedd, we’re dedicated to caring for animals here, there and everywhere; we’re ready to help in times of need,” Peggy Sloan, Shedd’s chief animal welfare officer, said in a statement about the pup, which arrived at the aquarium on Nov. 29.
“With this latest addition to our rescued sea otter population, we are committed to its long-term care and continue to create connections for Chicagoans to this important keystone species.”
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As part of the otter’s care, the aquarium will teach it how to groom itself — which is usually the mother’s responsibility, according to the Associated Press. According to the outlet, this involves pointing to spots on his fur which he then licks or rubs to clean them. The otters will also switch from formula to a shellfish diet, which penguin and otter manager Lana Gonzalez told the AP is “restaurant quality.”
The baby otter is currently eating small pieces of shellfish every three hours and is estimated to be eight weeks old. It weighs about 10 pounds.
“As the only licensed marine mammal stranding response facility in the state, our Wildlife Response Program has helped countless animals,” said Jane Belovarac, ASLC’s Wildlife Response Curator. “We are grateful to partners like the Shedd Aquarium who can support this effort for otters in need of relocation and unable to survive in the wild, and we are excited to continue following his journey in his new home.”
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A baby sea otter kept at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.
The Shedd Aquarium
Day-old baby otter rescued from ‘unusually dramatic’ orca attack in Alaska
The otter’s journey to his new home was part of a collaboration between Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) facilities. He joins five other rescue otters at the Shedd: Luna, Cooper, Watson, Sura and Willow.
As Gonzalez explained, “Taking care of a baby otter is like taking care of an infant.”
“Once we bring him into our care, he won’t be released back into the wild; they’re just too used to humans. But the good news is that he’ll be able to be an ambassador for his species here at the aquarium, so we’re very happy about that.” she said.
Shedd will notify when guests will be able to see the new addition to the sea otter habitat and when naming plans will be made.
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Source: HIS Education