Newport, Oregon—Oregon Coast Aquarium welcomes a new addition in the Sea Otter Exhibit this spring.
A northern sea otter pup, Enhydra lutris kenyonim, was discovered alone on a beach in Kodiak, Alaska early last summer. Sea otter pups are helpless when they are born and require constant attention from their mothers.
The six to eight week old pup appeared thin and his coat was in rough condition when he was first spotted. Something was clearly amiss and following lengthy observation and a call to the local authorities, a veterinarian collected the pup and sent him to the Alaska SeaLife Center for rehabilitation.
In time, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that Nuka was not a qualified candidate for release back into the wild and started to search for a long-term home. The Oregon Coast Aquarium had space for another male sea otter and was happy to add him to its raft, or sea otter family.
Nuka, which means “little brother” in Inuit, made the trip from Alaska to Oregon without a hitch and completed the 30-day health quarantine process. The young otter still needs to cross some training milestones before he meets the other members of the Aquarium’s all-male raft and makes his big debut on exhibit.
Visit the museum at 2820 S.E. Ferry Slip Rd., Newport, OR. www.aquarium.org, (541) 867-3474.
