Sea otter raised for release by Monterey Bay Aquarium dies at the age of 11

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION) The Monterey Bay Aquarium said it has learned that a sea otter known as Otter 501 has died at the age of 11.

The otter was part of the aquarium's surrogacy program and became one of the most popular after she was part of a PBS Nature episode called "Saving Otter 501" and the auditorium program "Luna: A Sea Otter's Story."

Otter 501 was rescued in Morro Bay after she was separated from her mother and washed ashore, and from there she entered the aquarium's Sea Otter Program. She was released into the wild at Elkhorn Slough in 2011, according to the aquarium, and became the mother of many pups.

She died in Elkhorn Slough in March. The aquarium said a necropsy is being performed, and the official cause of death is not confirmed, but initial examinations did not show obvious signs of physical trauma.