A week old female otter pup was found on California beach coast. It weighed 2 pounds then, and weighs 6 pounds now, and has grown 22.6 inches long. It was trained at Monterrey Bay Aquarium. The pup is now being taken care of by the Abbott Oceanarium.
She was noticed when a citizen on an evening walk heard the newborn otter’s cry and quickly notified The Marine Mammal Center (TMMC). TMMC staff contacted Monterey Bay Aquarium. Vice President of Animal Collections, Tim Binder said, “As an organization dedicated to marine mammal care and conservation, we were perfectly positioned to ensure that this little pup had a home, providing the long-term care needed to survive.”
He also stated that their animal care team is now teaching the pup to be an otter. “While the process is lengthy, our hands-on experience and long history rehabilitating sea otters allows us to use our expertise to work on saving this pup’s life by providing her with a home and the care she needs,” he said.
The pup is being trained to feed from a bottle. And also control body temperatures, as it needs to survive in extreme weather and climatic conditions. She was also trained to climb up, and dry herself off the waters. Her diets include shrimps, clams, and other solids.
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