Orphaned sea otter pups settle in at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium

Posted July 10, 2019 11:00 pm

Daily Herald Report

Chicago's Shedd Aquarium welcomed two new residents this week - southern sea otter pups.

The orphaned pups, both male, arrived on Monday. They were rescued by California's Monterey Bay Aquarium and "deemed non-releasable by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service," according to a Shedd news release. That means they lack the survival skills necessary to survive in the wild.

Monterey Bay's sea otter program is currently at capacity.

Two orphaned sea otter pups, both males, are being cared for at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium. Courtesy of Shedd Aquarium/Brenna Hernandez

One of the pups is estimated to be nine weeks old and weighs 13.4 pounds; the second pup, thought to be 10 weeks old, weighs 17 pounds.

For now, they're being referred to as Pups 870 and 872, and they will be cared for behind the scenes in the Regenstein Sea Otter Nursery for a few months.

"These two pups kept us busy from the moment they arrived," said Tracy Deakins, senior trainer at Shedd Aquarium, in the release.

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