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- Saving Otter 501: A Heartwarming Tale of Rescue and Rehabilitation
Saving Otter 501: A Heartwarming Tale of Rescue and Rehabilitation
Learn about the challenges faced by sea otters in the wild and follow the journey of orphaned otter 501 as she is rescued and nurtured back to health. Witness the dedication and effort required to prepare 501 for release back into the wild, overcoming obstacles along the way. A story that will touch your heart and highlight the importance of otter conservation efforts.
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Video Transcript
Sea otters are struggling in the wild.
And across California's coast, 500 have required rescue.
This orphaned pup is the latest one.
Pups are completely helpless.
They can't groom, they can't forage for food.
501 must learn the skills to survive from a new mom.
501 really has to learn everything that she's going to need to know
to ultimately be released back out into the wild.
It's an enormous endeavor.
I'm not willing to ever take for granted that this is going to work.
Fraught with obstacles.
Is that a shark bite?
Massive.
Your child otters may depend on it.
Viewers like you. Thank you.
So far this guy has washed up here on Del Monte Beach.
This is about a six or eight week old male pup.
Although he regularly walks these shorelines, Carl Mayer is no beachcomber.
He is the animal care coordinator for the Sea Otter Research and Conservation Program.
They operate out of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Normally we'd hypothesize when we see a pup coming up on the beach
that it's potentially an inadvertent separation from the mother.
In this case, though, just given the conditions and the age of this guy,
I'd say that's an unlikely scenario, that more likely something either happened to mom
or mom may not have been able to survive in terms of foraging.
for both herself and the pup.
So in the absence of a vocal or distressed female in the area,
you know, at this point,
you know, this guy's pretty exhausted.
So we're gonna take him back to the aquarium and then we're gonna have to make a decision.
It's Mayer's and his team's job to rescue every abandoned or injured sea otter in Northern California
and take them back to the aquarium for evaluation.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the busiest aquariums in the world.
Close to two million people come to this colossal living museum every year.
But most of the visitors communing with jellies, sea turtles, and even sea lions.
and Mola Mola are unaware of the real work that goes on here.
Hidden behind the enormous tanks and panes of 13-inch glass
is the nerve center of a bustling research
and rehab facility.
It runs around the clock, monitoring and studying
the sea life of the area, and sometimes attempting to save it.
Carl Mayer brings the stranded pup
to the aquarium's medical facility for an exam.
I don't know if it's just complete exhaustion, but...
What happens in this room offers the little otter his only chance at survival.
He looks okay.
His vitals look nice.
That's a beautiful color pink.
There are only a few possible outcomes.
If the pup simply can't be saved, he'll be euthanized, or he may end up as an aquarium
