Orphaned otter pups growing since adoption by Vancouver Aquarium

In otter news, the two orphaned pups brought in by the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society (VAMMR) this summer have reached new growth milestones.

In July, the society announced that it had rescued and housed two baby sea otters at the same time — a first in its 60 years of operation.

The first pup, named Tofino after the waters where she was found, was rescued weighing just 2.1 kilograms.


An otter pup lays on a towel
Tofino the otter pup in June. (Courtesy VAMMR)

She was later joined by ‘Luna’, who was also found near Tofino, weighing just 1.58 kilograms.


An otter pup lays on a towel
Luna the otter pup in July. (Courtesy VAMMR)

The society says both otters were transferred to the Vancouver Aquarium itself for continued care in August.

“Tofino now weighs in at 11.5 kg and Luna 9 kg,” VAMMR said in a post to social media.


Two otter pups
Tofino and Luna in November. (Courtesy VAMMR, via Facebook)

In the early summer, the society said the pups were unlikely to ever be returned to the wild. Veterinarians said while their ultimate fate depends on Fisheries and Oceans Canada, orphaned otters are poor candidates for re-release because pups are typically taught how to survive in the wild by their mothers.

A male sea otter pup rescued in 2020, nicknamed Joey, was also eventually transferred from the rescue society to Vancouver Aquarium after 33 days of care and is still housed there.



—With files from The Canadian Press

Editor’s note: an earlier version of this article implied that the otters had recently been transferred to the Vancouver Aquarium. In fact, they were transferred in August.

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