Adorable sea otter pup found alone in freezing remote town finds new home

07 December 2023 , 15:39

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The sea otter peaks out of his enclosure at Shedd Aquarium (Image: AP)

An adorable eight-week-old sea otter who was found alone in Alaska has finally been rehomed.

The youngster was malnourished when he was found with no mother or adult sea otter by his side in the remote town of Seldovia in October. Called Pup EL2306 for now, the northern sea otter was taken to the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward.

The SeaLife Center contacted Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, one of only a few facilities in the US with the resources to care for rescued otters. The cute and fluffy marine mammal made the journey to Chicago in November, where he is now in the hands of the aquarium’s otter team.

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The sea otter was found without a mother in Seldovia, Alaska (AP)

Yet to be given a name, the pup is getting healthier by the day and is being trained by the aquarium's skilled team in the absence of a mother. “Caring for a little otter pup is just like caring for an infant,” Lana Gonzalez, a manager of penguins and otters at Shedd told Associated Press.

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“He also needs to get groomed. Sea otters have a very dense coat — there’s anywhere from 700,000 to a million hairs per square inch, and that’s what they use to keep themselves warm. They don’t have a thick layer of blubber or fat like other marine mammals do, so taking care of that coat is very important.”

The eight-week-old pup is now in the care of Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium (AP)

The sea otter is currently being given round-the-clock feeding, with staff offering him formula and small bits of clam, which is said to be “restaurant quality” and sustainably sourced. Part of the growth process will see the pup move onto other solid foods in the future.

On Wednesday the pup was given clean white towels by otter supervisor Tracy Deakins and was encouraged to leave the water. Deakins pointed to different spots on the otter's fur and the pup responded by licking or rubbing it with his paws.

Eventually, the otter will be introduced to the otter habitat and the five other otters at the aquarium. However, this will take time and he is expected to remain in Shedd’s Regenstein Sea Otter Nursery for a few months.

Otter supervisor Tracy Deakins is helping train the youngster (AP)

Sadly, the pup will never be released back out into the natural environment, with rescued pups usually designated by the federal government as non-releasable. He will still have an interesting and worthwhile life, however.

“Once we bring him into our care he won’t be released back out into the natural environment, they’re just too used to people. But the good news is that he’ll be able to be an ambassador for his species here at the aquarium, so we’re really happy about that,” said Gonzalez.

Sam Truelove