Monterey Bay Aquarium Places Rescued Sea Otter Pup on Exhibit

A rescued male sea otter pup being cared for by the Monterey Bay Aquarium was placed on the Sea

Otter exhibit last night, with Gidget, a companion sea otter. The 12 ½ week old pup is the 6^th sea otter in

the aquarium’s history to become part of the two-story exhibit temporarily for some part of his

development. The exhibit is a permanent home for rescued sea otters that can’t be returned to the wild.

The pup, known as 649, is the 649^th stranded sea otter to be brought into the aquarium’s Sea Otter

Research and Conservation program since 1984. He will be named after he is transferred to his permanent

home at another accredited zoo or aquarium later this year.

Media interested in talking with staff about the new otter pup or taking photos and video of him on

Exhibit with Gidget should contact Angela or Karen above to coordinate.

Pup 649 came to the aquarium on November 16, 2013 from Jalama Beach (Santa Barbara County) as a

three-week-old stranded animal weighing less than seven pounds. He was admitted into the aquarium’s

veterinary intensive care unit, where he was cared for until he was introduced to companion animal

Gidget. Pup 649 now weighs 16 pounds, having gained nine pounds in just over ten weeks and is a robust,

healthy, developmentally normal pup.

Otter 649 is easily recognized due to his smaller size and uniformly dark brown velvet-like fur. He will remain on exhibit as long as husbandry staff continues to observe positive interactions with Gidget. This is the first pup Gidget has mentored. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has authorized the aquarium to raise him on exhibit and has declared him to be non-releasable.

In addition to seeing pup 649 in person, otter lovers can watch him and Gidget daily via the aquarium’s

live streaming OtterCam, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific time. More information about 649 is posted on the

aquarium’s blog, and periodic updates on his progress will be posted on the aquarium’s Facebook page.

Details about the aquarium’s work to help in the recovery of California’s threatened sea otter population

can be found on the aquarium’s sea otter pages.