Shedd Aquarium Gets Rescued Baby Sea Otter

Chicago - The Shedd Aquarium announced Thursday that it has acquired a 10-week-old orphaned southern sea otter pup from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as part of the conservation effort for the threatened population in California.

The female pup, weighing in at 15 pounds, is the first southern sea otter to reside at the aquarium, a release from the Shedd said. She will soon join her Alaskan relatives, some of whom have lived at Shedd for decades.

The Shedd will hold a media availability to introduce the otter pup Thursday afternoon.

In early December, the pup was found stranded near Cayucos (ky-YOU-cos), Calif., the release said. Shedd worked closely with its West Coast sister institution, Monterey Bay Aquarium and its Sea Otter Research and Conservation program staff, to assist with the animal’s rescue and stabilization. Due to the significant amount of resources needed to care for a pup, there are only a handful of facilities in the United States equipped with available housing space and the experience needed for appropriate care.

“Shedd Aquarium is one of the country’s top marine mammal conservation and education organizations, so it was only natural that we do whatever it takes to make sure that a pup of a threatened otter population survives,” Jim Robinett, Senior Vice President of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs at Shedd, said. “Shedd’s animal care expertise and world-class facility enabled us to offer her a home and the highest quality care that she needs when all options seemed lost.

“With so few southern sea otters in the wild, it’s imperative to learn more about this species in order to protect them,” Robinett said.