Lost otter pup was found in Morro Bay. See heartwarming reunion with its mother
A sea otter mother was given a touching reunion with her pup in the waters off Morro Bay thanks to a local nonprofit.
On Oct. 20, The Marine Mammal Center’s San Luis Obispo team spotted a sea otter pup known as Caterpillar that had been separated from its mother in Morro Bay, according to a post on Facebook from the center.
Keeping the pup on board a boat, Marine Mammal Center members searched for the pup’s mother for two hours, recording and playing back the pup’s cries over a Bluetooth speaker.
Eventually, the team spotted a female otter following the boat, tentatively approaching it as the cries reached its ears, according to the post.
The team placed the pup in the water and allowed the mother and child to sniff each other, observing the reunion for an hour to ensure all was well, according to the post. Within a few minutes, the pup and its mother were nestled in each others’ paws, swimming back out to deeper waters together — the first reunion of its kind by the Marine Mammal Center since 2019.
This was the first otter mother and pup reunion in the area in six years, the group said.
San Luis Obispo County resident and Marine Mammal Center volunteer Christine Heinrichs said sea otters face more challenges in Morro Bay today than they did even 10 years ago.
Ocean heat waves, disturbances by humans and the invasion of urchins that kill the kelp forests that otters call home have all contributed to an environment that make separations between mothers and pups more common, Heinrichs said.
Heinrichs said when an otter mother doesn’t get enough nutrition, it’s harder for it to nurse its pup, leading it to either abandon the pup or face malnutriton.
“The kelp forest is now at a low — it’s not doing as bad in the Central Coast as it is in, say, Monterey Bay, but without the kelp forest, the otters don’t have their favorite food,” Heinrichs said. “They do eat purple urchins, but the urchins have so decimated the kelp forest that there’s really no nutrition in the urchins at this time.”
Anyone who needs to report a sick or stranded marine mammal, including lone otter pups, can keep their distance and call the Marine Mammal Center to call 415-289-7325 (SEAL).
This story was originally published November 12, 2025 at 12:12 PM.
