A rescued sea otter pup made its public debut this week with surrogate mother and resident otter Betty at the Aquarium of the Pacific.
The sea otter pup came to the Aquarium earlier this month after it was rescued off the coast of Pismo Beach and deemed unable to survive on its own by government wildlife officials.
The pup was then transferred to the Aquarium of the Pacific and paired up with Betty to act as a surrogate to teach the pup life skills.
The pairing is a component of the Sea Otter Surrogacy Program—a joint effort between the Aquarium of the Pacific and the Monterey Bay Aquarium that began in the 1980s to rescue and rehabilitate stranded sea otter pups before releasing them back into the wild.
Rehabilitation for sea otter pups can take nine to 12 months, according to Brett Long, Aquarium of the Pacific curator of marine mammals and birds.
“Betty and the sea otter pup are doing well. They have been together for a little over four weeks,” Long said in an email. “This is the first time Betty has been with a pup this young.”
The two will remain together in the habitat before being introduced to the other otters “in the near future,” Long said, noting that all of the otters have met or been with young otters in the past.
Long said the pup is becoming more efficient and foraging and receiving food from its caretakers.
“He has learned how to crack open mussels and shell shrimp,” Long said, noting that the otter mostly receives soft food items. The Aquarium will slowly introduce new enrichment items to the sea otter pup to encourage him to learn “natural feeding behaviors.”
As for the name of the pup, who has been referred to as “baby boy” in social media posts by the Aquarium, Long said that the Aquarium has “no plans currently” to name him.
The Aquarium of the Pacific is building a surrogacy area at its Molina Animal Care Center that will be able to accommodate three to four orphaned sea otter pups every year. It is also developing learning material to inform the public about the surrogacy program and the ecological importance of sea otters.
Those who wish to donate to the rehabilitation of sea otter pups can do so by visiting the Aquarium of the Pacific’s website or calling (562) 951-1701.