ZooBorns

Orphan Otter Finds New Home in Pittsburgh

Back in March we brought you the story of a young Sea Otter rescued by the residents of Port Heiden, Alaska. Discovered alone on the beach next to his deceased mother, the pup was cared for overnight by concerned citizens, then flown to the Alaska SeaLife Center. One month and one FedEx plane ride later, the pup begins a new life at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium and will go on exhibit next Friday, April 27th. FedEx specializes in transporting animals between zoological institutions safely and comfortably. 

Above photo credits: Alaska SeaLife Center

The next milestone for the little pup will be to acclimate to his new environment in Pittsburgh, begin eating solid food, respond to keeper’s cues which will teach him cooperative and husbandry behaviors. These behaviors will allow him to participate in his own care such as voluntary weigh-ins, and presentation of paws and flippers. He will develop his natural instincts as he grows and when he is bigger will be slowly introduced to Alki and Chugach, the Zoo’s current sea otter residents.

Sea Otter pup arriving in Pittsburgh. Photo courtesy of the Pittsburgh Zoo.

Checking in with Ollie the Orphan Sea Otter

Photo credits: Aquarium of the Pacific

Aquarium visitors have the chance to take a sneak peek at the newest furry baby animal at the Aquarium of the Pacific through daily behind-the-scenes tours as of Friday, Dec. 10. The three-month old orphaned Sea Otter was stranded and rescued off of Santa Cruz when she was just weeks old.

Tazo Loves Chewing on His Toys

The WCS's New York Aquarium has just released a new video of everybody's favorite feisty pup - Tazo the orphan Sea Otter! Rescued and rehabilitated by the Alaska SeaLife Center back in August, Tazo continues to exhibit the talkative, troublemaking spirit evident in previous videos. While the pup is not yet on exhibit, he will most likely make a public debut later this year.

Second photo credit: Julie Larsen Maher / WCS NY Aquarium

Little Miss 502

Little Sea Otter pup #502 arrived at the Monterey Bay Aquarium after being discovered weak, sick and alone on a California beach. After four weeks of antibiotics delivered via frozen clams and a behind the scenes introduction to a surrogate mother named Joy, #502 went on exhibit to the public last week. She got her temporary numerical name because she was the 502nd Sea Otter rescued by the Monterey Bay Aquarium's SORAC program since its founding in 1984. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing nature of #502's medical treatment, she cannot be released back into the wild because she won't have the necessary wild-otter skills. Eventually she may be introduced to another orphan turned education animal, the not-to-be-missed Kit, who we met earlier in the summer.

Photo credits: © Monterey Bay Aquarium / Randy Wilder

Read the whole story below the fold.

Double Dose of Baby Sea Otter

Just last week we brought you the story of Kaladi, the little orphan Sea Otter at Alaska SeaLife Center. Well this week we bring you another dose of truly unbearably cute baby otter, once again a rescued orphan being raised at the the SeaLife Center. 

Meet Tazo. Only a few weeks old, he enjoys socializing with other otters, playing in a tote bag full of ice and toys, and eating clams. Not a bad day if you're an otter. Speaking of which, do not miss Tazo's fussy noises in the video at the bottom. Adorable.

Meet Kaladi the Orphan Sea Otter

In late May, two concerned citizens discovered a three day old Sea Otter alone on the beach in Kodiak, Alaska. After obvserving her for several hours and seeing no sign of a parent, they contacted the US Fish and Wildlife Service, who in turn determined that they baby was an orphan and transferred the tiny ball of fluff to the Alaska SeaLife Center's rehabilitation program. Named Kaladi, the young otter has thrived, spending her first month eating, playing, crawling, and cuddling and on June 25th, she was transferred to her new home at Point Defiance Zoo in Washington. In our professional opinion as baby-animaloligsts, the video below is absolutely priceless.

Photos and video courtesy of the Alaska SeaLife Center

Meet "Furball" the Orphan Otter

Found alone on the Central Coast of California, a whimpering little otter pup was rescued and taken to the Aquarium of the Pacific. Too young to fend for herself but too old to be placed in the surrogate otter mom program that would have provided her with the necessary life skills to be returned to the wild, "Furball" (eventually renamed Maggie) was adopted by the Aquarium. More specifically, she was adopted by marine mammal trainer "Hugh" who has spent the last few months as her surrogate dad, including many nights sleeping next to the young otter. Watch the adorable video below and learn more about Hugh's adventures with Furball on the Aquarium's blog.

Sea Otter Research and Conservation

The Monterey Bay Aquarium's Sea Otter Research and Conservation (SORAC) program is renowned for its success at rescuing orphan pups and releasing them back into the wild. Just last week, Monterey celebrated the news that two female sea otters raised as stranded pups by surrogate mothers at the aquarium have each given birth in the wild to their second set of pups. Programs like SORAC demonstrate the direct link between the groundbreaking research efforts performed at many accredited zoos and conservation efforts in the field. 

Photo credits: © Monterey Bay Aquarium/Randy Wilder

Eat, Sleep, Play, Repeat - The Life of a Baby Otter

A few weeks ago we brought you the story of the orphan sea otter, Kit, who had found a new home at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and a new companion in the 9 year old surrogate otter mom "Mae." Today we check back in on what appears to be a very contented otter pair!

Orphan Otter Finds a Home at Monterey

In a story both heartbreaking and heartwarming, a baby Sea Otter was rescued by the Monterey Bay Aquarium after losing her mother. The young otter was found crying and desperately trying to climb on adult females in Morro Bay, seeking her missing mother. Already occupied with their own pups, the adult otters repeatedly pushed the little girl away. With things looking increasingly desperate, staff decided to rescue the pup and bring her back to the Aquarium. Learn more here but as you can see in the pictures and video below, Kit is in a wonderful new home with a loving companion, 9 year old Sea Otter "Mae."

You can also see more via Monterey Bay Aquarium's live webcam.