Rescued Sea Otter Pup Receives Warm Welcome at Shedd Aquarium

A recognized leader in animal care and conservation, Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium announced today it has welcomed a sea otter pup rescued in late October by Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC). The new addition, temporarily referred to as Pup EL2306, is a rescued male northern sea otter (Enhydra lutris kenyoni). He will remain behind the scenes in the Regenstein Sea Otter Nursery for a few months as he reaches development milestones and builds bonds with the care staff and the other otters at Shedd before being officially introduced to the otter habitat and the other rescued otters at Shedd.

The otter pup arrived at Shedd on Wednesday, November 29, and has been acclimating behind the scenes, receiving around-the-clock care and monitoring from Shedd's animal care and veterinarian teams. The aquarium’s care team accompanied the pup for his cross-country journey from Seward, Alaska to Chicago. He is estimated to be eight weeks old, weighing around 10 pounds.

Caring for stranded sea otter pups requires extensive care involving all the necessities and beyond, from feeding and grooming to veterinary check-ups. Currently, the pup is eating formula out of a bottle and small pieces of clam every 3 hours. Only a handful of facilities in the United States have available space, staff and experience to provide that level of care. Currently, 11 institutions across North America, including Shedd, provide homes for non-releasable sea otters. Shedd quickly accepted ASLC’s call to provide the rescued pup with a new home.

“At Shedd, we are dedicated to the care of animals here, there and everywhere; we stand ready to assist in times of need,” said Peggy Sloan, chief animal conservation officer at Shedd Aquarium. “With this newest addition to our rescued population of sea otters, we’re committed to his long-term care and continuing to create connections for Chicagoans to this important keystone species.”

ASLC admitted the pup to the Wildlife Response Program on October 31, from the remote coastal town of Seldovia, Alaska. He was found stranded, vocalizing in distress with no mother in sight, and another adult male sea otter approaching aggressively. ASLC rehabilitated the dehydrated, malnourished and wounded sea otter providing him with the 24/7 care necessary for pups. The otter pup is the third sea otter admitted to ASLC this year.

Sea otter pups need their mothers for the first year of their life for food, care, and to learn where to forage and how to hunt after they are weaned. Thus, orphaned northern sea otter pups are usually designated by the federal government as non-releasable when they are stranded, especially if they are found very young.

“As the only permitted stranding marine mammal response facility in the state, our Wildlife Response Program has helped countless animals,” said Jane Belovarac, wildlife response curator at ASLC. “We are thankful to partners like Shedd Aquarium that can support this effort for otters that need a relocation and cannot survive in the wild, and we’re excited to continue to follow his journey at his new home.”

This newest arrival is the latest in a continued collaboration among Association of Zoos and Aquarium (AZA) facilities in sea otter rescue, rehabilitation, release and rehoming efforts. All five other otters at Shedd – Luna, Cooper, Watson, Suri and Willow – are rescues and were given a second chance at life.

Shedd will continue to provide updates on the pup’s development over the subsequent months and when guests can expect to see him in the sea otter habitat. Shedd will also share any plans around naming the pup as they formalize. Find more information about sea otters at Shedd on the aquarium’s website: https://www.sheddaquarium.org/animals/sea-otter.

VISUALS: For a behind-the-scenes look at the new northern sea otter pup, find high-resolution photos and video here: https://personal.filesanywhere.com/fs/v.aspx?v=8e6e698c5f636ea66d9d.
Credit: ©Shedd Aquarium unless otherwise noted as Alaska SeaLife Center

Permit Number: USFWS MA73418B-1. The permit number must remain on all visuals of the pup at ASLC and cannot be cropped out.