The Alaska SeaLife Center admitted their first stranded animal of 2019. The female sea otter pup was admitted April 9, according to a press release from the SeaLife Center.
The newborn was floating alone in Kachemak Bay before an area fisherman alerted the SeaLife Center, a nonprofit organization focused on marine mammal rehabilitation. Homer-based volunteers, with the permission of U.S. Fish and Wildlife, brought the 3-pound newborn pup to the center in Seward.
The release said the staff was surprised to find the otter pup still had its umbilical cord, indicating it was only around a day old. It is not unusual for the center to treat very young sea otter pups, but one that could be a day old or less is rare, the release said.
“About ten percent of the sea otters admitted to the center are younger than a week old, but only a few are about a day old,” Director of Animal Health, Dr. Carrie Goertz said in the release.
The pup is receiving 24-hour care and is being fed every two hours.
An Alaska SeaLife Center animal care specialist feeds a sea otter pup. The female pup was admitted Tuesday, April 9, 2019, after the newborn was found floating alone in Kachemak Bay. (Photo courtesy Alaska SeaLife Center)
An Alaska SeaLife Center animal care specialist feeds a sea otter pup. The female pup was admitted Tuesday, April 9, 2019, after the newborn was found floating alone in Kachemak Bay. (Photo courtesy Alaska SeaLife Center)
