Vancouver Aquarium welcomes orphaned sea otter pups Tofino and Luna
The Vancouver Aquarium’s two newest furry members have officially arrived at the facility.
The sea otter pups — named Tofino and Luna — were rescued by the Marine Mammal Rescue Society earlier this summer.
Tofino, who was aptly named after the waters she was found in, was located in June, calling out for a mother who wasn’t around. The pup was described as a “very tiny female northern sea otter weighing only 1.58 kg.”
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“A sea otter pup nursery has been established and will be available for the public to view the approximately 3-month-old, Tofino,” VanAqua said in a release Tuesday.
The aquarium says the second otter pup, Luna, remains in critical care and is being monitored closely by veterinary and animal care staff. She’s currently living apart from Tofino, and will be able to join her in her new habitat when she reaches “certain health and behaviour milestones.”
Luna was reportedly so young when she was discovered by a former Marine Mammal Rescue Society volunteer that she still had parts of her umbillical cord attached. Senior Manager Lindsay Akhurst previously said it wasn’t clear what caused the mother to abandon her pup.
“Sea otter pups are with their moms for about six months, and they’re with them constantly. They’re unable to swim on their own. They’re not able to forage at that age,” society Senior Manager Lindsay Akhurst explained in July.
VanAqua says it’s up to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to decide if animals can be released back into the wild or if they need to stay in the care of humans.
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It says sea otter pups “require an extremely high maternal investment and round-the-clock care,” adding pups that are good candidates to be released receive little human contact.
“But sea otter pups need a lot more direct care to survive. Human care can never replace mom, unfortunately. We can groom and feed them formula, but it is never as good as their mom,” the aquarium explains, noting the pups currently need to be cared for 24 hours a day.
