Sea Otters Hardy and Rialto Meet and Play!

So, by now you know Hardy. And you know Rialto. But for the first time, you can see them together! Below is a video of their meeting and getting to know one another:

Vancouver Aquarium writes:

“Both Hardy and Rialto are similar in that they readily adapt to new situations so we believed their introduction would go well. In fact, it went even better than we had anticipated,” said Vancouver Aquarium Senior Marine Mammal Trainer Kristi Heffron. “Our team has provided care for both Rialto and Hardy from a very young age so we’ve really been looking forward to this moment. We’ve been overwhelmed by the support of our sea otter rescue and rehabilitation efforts as well as the interest in the development and wellbeing of these young otters; we’re so delighted to share this milestone with our visitors and supporters as well.”

Hardy has had a number of otter introductions over the past few months, first meeting 13-year-old Tanu and then meeting five-year-old Katmai. While Rialto has re-joined Mak and Kunik in the Finning habitat, Hardy continues to swim with Tanu and Katmai in the Russel habitat. The Aquarium’s marine mammal care team anticipate socializing Hardy with the other sea otters more and more in the coming months.