An otter pup may owe its survival to quick thinking and wildlife experts. According to CBS News, Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) lab tech Natalie Hunter, along with her friends who have backgrounds in wildlife response, witnessed a distressing scene on September 9 near Homer. Two orcas were targeting a floating otter, and instead of escaping, the otter remained still. Recognizing the young otter’s response and calls, they realized the orcas were after a mother otter with her pup. Suddenly, both the mother and pup burst out of the water after one orca delivered a powerful tail slap. The mother and pup were separated as the orcas focused their attention on the mother.
The relentless attacks ultimately led to the mother otter disappearing underwater. Although the orcas left, the group continued to hear the pup’s cries. After waiting for some time, they reached out to the ASLC hotline to seek guidance. With permission from the US Fish and Wildlife Services, they rescued the pup from the water. Hunter recalled, “Her cries were gurgly, and when we got her out of the water, she was soaked. Her coat wasn’t repelling water and keeping her buoyant like it should have been.”
Upon arrival at the ASLC, it was determined that the pup was tired and hungry but otherwise in good condition. Remarkably, it was only a day or possibly just hours old, evident from its fresh umbilical cord. “It’s extremely rare for us to know the exact circumstances of how a wildlife patient ended up in the particular condition it was found,” said Jane Belovarac, ASLC Wildlife Response Curator. “Typically, in cases of abandoned seal or otter pups, we ask the observer to wait and see if the mother returns. In this exceptional case, we have a clear understanding of what happened to this newborn pup.” (Read more otter stories.)
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