Experts say sea otter 841 faces possible danger if not captured, despite growing support to leave her be

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION-TV)- The search for Otter 841 continues, and while the otter mania is amusing, we had to ask why it's taking so long to capture the aggressive otter.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Monterey Bay Aquarium have been working to try to capture the infamous otter.

“Should she be captured? I don't know. I'm kind of on the don't get rid of the otter," Santa Cruz resident Davon Larson said.

People KION spoke with along the coast in Santa Cruz, leaned towards having Otter 841 remain in her natural environment.

“I think the thing that I would be most disappointed to see is the honor of being put in into a zoo or a facility when this is for the environment in her home, Santa Cruz resident Kendall Williams. “If her life is at risk at all by humans being so close to her all the time, it might be an option.”

Native Santa Cruz’s Mark Woodward has been capturing various photos of Otter 841 interacting with people on the water. While there have been reports of 841 getting aggressive, those behind the capture say there’s another safety risk.

In a statement to KION, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says in part, “Due to her unusual lack of fear of humans, she is more susceptible to boat strike or a fatal intestinal blockage from consuming parts of styrofoam surfboards.”

However, the Fish and Wildlife Service adds, if ocean conditions prevent successful capture efforts, or if her interactions with people cease, capture efforts may be suspended. With the search going on for multiple weeks now KION also asked what is the cost of the search.

"Any costs associated with capture efforts would be from biologists' staff time assisting with planning and capture efforts. The team has been using existing resources that are a regular part of wildlife conservation work," the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a statement.

So far, teams have used a variety of surface and underwater approaches developed for emergency responses such as oil spills.