Sea otter gives birth near aquarium
A wild sea otter gave birth to a pup in the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Great Tide Pool Sunday.
The mom and baby already have fans from across the country.
“You see them out in the wild, but when you see them this close… the mother, and the affection she’s showing her little one, it’s really rather cute,” Peter Buttweiler said.
Aquarium staff say the sea otter was spotted in the tide pool leading up to the birth Sunday.
Baby sea otter born near Aquarium draws crowds“She knew that it was a bit rough in the Bay,” Andrea Satterfield said. “In here, it’s secluded, it’s calm, it’s a great place for her to give birth and put on a little show for everybody.”
Satterfield said in the 8 years she’s worked at the aquarium, she’s only seen a female with her pup in the tide pool twice.
In the beginning, otter moms spend a lot of time grooming their pup because fur is the only thing that keeps them warm.
Eventually, however, the pair will leave the tide pool. That’s because there’s no food for them in there. Staff say they may come and go over the next few days as they make their transition back into the wild.
“I think it’s amazing that all of these visitors are here,” Satterfield said. “They’re able to make this connection with them. And then when they go home, they’re going to remember that, and they’re going to want to save the ocean.”
