A tiny sea otter pup is safe and sound at the Vancouver Aquarium after being found swimming alone just north of Vancouver Island.
According to the aquarium, he was brought to Port Hardy by boaters who were worried about the pup following their vessel around.
The pup, believed to be two-four weeks old, is healthy but needy: he requires 24-hour care from the aquariumâs staff.
âSea otters have high energetic needs; after birth they spend about six months with mom, nursing, being groomed by her and learning to forage and be a sea otter, so this little guy is still a fully dependent pup,â said Marine Mammal Rescue Centre manager , and weâre providing him with the care he needs right now,â said Lindsaye Akhurst. âHe would not survive on his own.â
Despite that, Akhurst says that itâs best for boaters to simply report distressed sea animals rather than bring them in.
âOnce theyâre removed from the wild itâs impossible to determine if the mother is alive and if they could have been reunited,â she said, âor if bringing him in was the appropriate action.â
WATCH: Baby sea otter hangs out at the Vancouver Aquarium
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