Meet Monterey Bay Aquarium’s newest otter — rescued from the SLO County coast
A new otter will soon be splashing around the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
The otter was stranded off the coast of San Luis Obispo County when she was 3 weeks old and unable to fend for herself, according to a news release from the aquarium.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that she could not be released back into the wild, so she was sent to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for rehabilitation.
Right now, she lives at the aquarium “behind the scenes with other rescued otters” while being rehabilitated, and when she’s ready, she will join the sea otter exhibit, the news release said.
You can help pick the otter’s name by taking a poll online at the aquarium’s website at bit.ly/4hWXRAk. The poll will be open from Wednesday at noon to Thursday at noon.
The aquarium is considering three names, according to the release:
- “Hazel: a name associated with wisdom, which fits the intelligent sea otter, as the hazel tree is considered the Tree of Knowledge in many cultures.”
- “Opal: a colorful name for the playful sea otter; associated with the iridescent gemstone and there are many ocean-related opalescence references like the opalescent nudibranch and the insides of shells.”
- “Quinn: a name that comes from the Old Irish words for ‘head’ or ‘chief’ which matches her confidence, protectiveness and sassy side.”
The sea otter exhibit includes three other resident otters named Ivy, Ruby and Selka.
The aquarium’s sea otter program works to rehabilitate and release otters back into the wild.
“This work is crucial because sea otters are an important part of healthy marine habitat, helping to restore wetlands and protect kelp forests,” the release said.
But if an otter wouldn’t survive the transition into the wild, it becomes a resident at the aquarium.
“Resident sea otters may act as adoptive mothers or companions to stranded young pups, teaching them the skills they will need to survive in the wild such as grooming and foraging,” the news release said.
You can watch the sea otters play on the aquarium’s live cam daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/live-cams/sea-otter-cam.
Aquarium tickets cost $65 for adults and $50 for youth ages 5 to 17 and seniors older than 70.
As part of the Museums for All program, the aquarium also offers free admission at the main entrance to anyone with a SNAP EBT or CalFresh EBT card and three of their guests.
