Meet Kit—a rescued female sea otter pup, now the newest resident in our exhibit. At just 11 weeks, Kit is the youngest sea otter ever to be part of our exhibit.
Our exhibit otters are all rescued animals that were unable to be returned to the wild. They now play an integral role in our Sea Otter Research and Conservation program as companions and surrogate mothers to other stranded otters. In fact, pups raised by our surrogate sea otter mothers have an 80 percent chance of surviving to adulthood when released—a figure much higher than for wild-raised pups!
Our work to rehabilitate sick and injured sea otters helps us learn more about the challenges these animals face in the wild: exposure to infectious disease, parasites and pollution among them. Our goal is to return to the wild healthy animals to the wild that can successfully contribute to recovery of the threatened population.
We'll update you on Kit's progress regularly on
our blog. You can
see Kit on our Otter Cam, or better yet, come visit her in person. An otter pup has a lot to learn, and we're delighted to share this special experience with you!
Help Leatherback Sea Turtles
Pacific leatherback sea turtles, the largest of all sea turtles, are seriously endangered. A new proposal to protect their feeding and migration routes off the U.S. coast needs your support. Comments must be received by March 8, 2010.
BLUE Ocean Film Festival
The acclaimed BLUE Ocean Film Festival is coming to Monterey August 25-29, and we're proud to be the presenting sponsor. Aquarium members will enjoy advance ticket sales and special rates on screenings and events. Tickets will be available on March 15 for members and April 1 for the general public.
Target Eliminates Farmed Salmon from All Stores
Your seafood choices matter! Target is eliminating all farmed salmon—a Seafood Watch red list item—from its stores, citing guidance from our program. This is a huge development from a major retailer and means that no farmed salmon will be sold as fresh, frozen or shelf items in any of its more than 1,700 popular stores.