A beloved sea otter named Ollie who lived at the Detroit Zoo has died, the zoo announced.
In a statement posted on Facebook on Wednesday, the zoo said the female sea otter died on the evening of Dec. 30 after a “short and sudden illness.”
“Throughout her illness, our veterinary and animal care teams worked diligently to keep Ollie comfortable, providing intensive care and observation and consulting with experts who specialize in the medical care of sea otters,” the statement continued. “Unfortunately, Ollie’s condition rapidly deteriorated and our team made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize her.”
Ollie was 13 when she died. The Detroit Zoo said in a statement that after an autopsy, the cause of her death was not immediately known. Further tests are pending and the zoo hopes to determine what caused Ollie’s health to deteriorate so rapidly.
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She was rescued off the coast of California when she was 2 years old and came to live at the Detroit Zoo in 2021.
Ollie was described as “perfect in every way” by zoo staff, who added that she was “extremely smart, loved to nibble on soft-shelled crabs and enjoyed keeping her fur extra fluffy through daily grooming.”
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She also loved taking care of her fellow sea otters at the zoo, Monte and Finn, who are supervised by the staff.
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“We are heartbroken by this loss and kindly ask that you please remember our staff at this difficult time, Ollie will be missed by all who knew her,” the Detroit Zoo said in a statement.
Female sea otters have an average lifespan of 15-20 years, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.
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Source: HIS Education