Monterey Bay sea otter that helped raise stranded pups dies

A popular sea otter at the Monterey Bay Aquarium has died.

10-year-old Gidget had chronic health problems due to osteoarthritis in her hips and she passed away Sunday evening.

The aquarium said Gidget’s condition declined in the past week.

“Gidget touched millions of people with her beauty, charm, and an exuberance of mischief,” said aquarium veterinarian Dr. Mike Murray. “She is an example of why we do what we do, for the animals in our care and for their wild kin.”

Gidget was found stranded on Morro Strand State Beach in San Luis Obispo County in Oct. 2008 as a 10-week old pup. She was rescued by the Marine Mammal Center and a California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist and taken to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California.

On Jan. 21, 2013 Gidget came to the Monterey Bay Aquarium to join the sea otter exihibit and to serve as a surrogate mother for other rescued pups. She cared for four rescued pups until she was retired from those duties for health reasons.

A necropsy is planned to learn more about Gidget’s cause of death.