A man was taking a walk on the beach behind his house. He did this daily so he could enjoy the fresh air and the sound of the surf. But this particular day was unlike others. He heard frantic cries coming from nearby. When he looked around, he didn’t see anything. Hmmm, it was peculiar for sure. So the man, being kind-hearted and concerned, decided to investigate.

He walked closer to the shore and saw a tiny creature that was so vulnerable that his heart broke. A baby otter, that should have been with her family, was sitting there all alone in tears. She was crying out for her mother. The man, who thankfully works for the Monterey Bay Aquarium, knew he had to try to reunite the baby otter with her family.

 

 

He also knew how to handle the baby otter so he carefully picked her up and walked with her, up and down the beach, hoping to find her mom. He was encouraged that the baby otter’s cries would lure her mother out. But there was no other otter around. This was likely due to the large swells brought in by the weather. She was likely separated by her mom, for good. The man had no other choice but to bring the baby otter to the aquarium.

 

 

The otter pup was only four weeks old and completely traumatized. They had to figure out the best placement for her so she could thrive and then be released back into the wild when she was ready. The only issue was the Monterey Bay Aquarium had no female otters to place the baby with. They made some calls and luckily found her a home nearby at Shedd Aquarium.

 

 

But first, before the baby otter was transferred to Shedd Aquarium, the kind folks at Monterey Bay needed to get her used to being around humans. Otters do just fine with some human interaction. They still adjust very well once they are old enough to go back into the wild so long as they are not treated as pets. They need to be otters! So, the pup’s new human friends introduced her to all sorts of otter things like solid food and diving underwater.

 

 

The pup became more and more playful. She even put up with being brushed and towel dried. Before long, it was time for her to make her journey over to Shedd Aquarium. She probably had no idea how much she would be missed. Some of her new human friends even cried as they said goodbye. It’s pretty hard not to get attached, just look at that face! 😍🥰😍

 

 

The baby otter successfully made her journey to her new home and was welcomed with open arms. Just wait until you see what happens next when she meets her new caregivers. Her new friends will prepare her for life in the wild where she will be released when she’s ready. We are so grateful for all animal rescues, domestic and wild. Thank you to all the animal lovers out there who make it their mission to keep animals safe!