Abandoned sea otter pup moves to nursery at Vancouver Aquarium
The pup was found on a remote beach in Washington State
An emaciated and ill sea otter pup that was found washed up on a remote beach in Washington State last month has been relocated to its new, permanent home at the Vancouver Aquarium.
The pup, named Rialto, was found Aug. 1 and taken to the Seattle Aquarium, where it received round-the-clock care from staff that included a rotating team of specialists from the Vancouver facility.
Dr. Martin Haulena, head veterinarian at the Vancouver Aquarium, says wild sea otter pups can have low survival rates, so the odds were stacked against Rialto.
But Haulena says the pup is now thriving and was transferred yesterday to Vancouver, where it will be introduced to the other sea otters one at a time, once it has picked up the survival skills it never had a chance to learn from its mother.
