In case you haven’t heard, back on September 30th, an abandoned sea otter was found by a hiker near a beach in San Mateo County, California.
The pup, who everyone is now calling Pup 681, weighed only two pounds when she was discovered. It was estimated that she spent 16 hours way from her mother before she was rushed to Monterey Bay Aquarium to receive intensive care.
Now Pup 681, weighs a hefty six pounds and drinks formula, eats pieces of seafood and is being taught how to be an otter by the crew at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, which is now her new home. “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,” Shedd Vice President of Animal Collections Tim Binder told the Chicago Sun Times.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature have listed California, or southern, sea otters as endangered, while the Endangered Species Act has the mammals listed as threatened. They are fully protected throughout the United States under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act. However, due to shark attacks, habitate degradation, pollution and other issues, the population growth of these beautiful creatures is currently at a standstill.
There are a ton of organizations that are helping these little guys, such as the Otter Project.
If you need any convincing at all that you should get involved, watch the video below of Pup681, and be sure to head over to the Chicago Sun Times for more.
