A sea otter was rescued from SLO County, but it was too sick to survive

The Marine Mammal Center rescued an ailing sea otter from Morro Bay on Tuesday, but it was too sick to survive.

The nonprofit started receiving calls about a young adult southern sea otter on Monday, Marine Mammal Center spokesperson Giancarlo Rulli said.

The male otter suffered from stressed, labored breathing and appeared to struggle to stay buoyant.

“It was being tossed by the waves into rocks and not recovering well,” Rulli said.

Volunteers with the Marine Mammal Center tried to rescue the otter on Monday, but it swam to places that were unsafe for the rescue team to access.

On Tuesday, the team captured the otter in a net and transported it to the Marine Mammal Center’s main hospital in Sausalito, Rulli said.

The veterinary team conducted a quick checkup, took blood tests and gave the otter antibiotics and antacids on Tuesday night, but it still refused to eat any food.

On Wednesday morning, the otter underwent an endoscopy and x-rays, which revealed that its esophagus was impacted by broken down foraging material and mucus, Rulli said.

“It is pretty rare to see an impacted esophagus in a southern sea otter,” he said.

The otter was suffering greatly and showed no signs of recovery, so it was euthanized on Wednesday morning.

When people spot sick or injured marine mammals, they should keep at least a 150-foot distance and call the Marine Mammal Center’s hotline at 415-289-7325.

For more information, visit marinemammalcenter.org.

This story was originally published November 19, 2025 at 2:56 PM.