The mother and baby are doing well and were caught on the
aquarium’s Otter Cam cuddling and grooming. The pup weighs just a couple
pounds, staff said.
Wild sea animals are able to gain entry to the Great Tidepool
because it serves as an outflow for the aquarium's sea water. Staff often use
the pool during underwater explorer classes.
The otter and its pup will not be tagged or kept at the
aquarium because they are wild. The furry pair are free to swim back into the
ocean from the tidepool whenever they please.
This is not the first time a pregnant sea otter has swum
into the aquarium to give birth. In fact, it happened just two years ago, and
schools of fish and other sea critters have been known to come with the tide,
staff said.
Trainers have theorized that pregnant sea otters may seek
refuge at the pool because it is quieter and less populated than its vast
oceanic counterpart.
The sea otters that live in the aquarium are all rescues
that are unable to survive in the wild, according to the aquarium website.
