Georgia Aquarium Is the New Home of Two Rescued Sea Otter Pups!

Georgia Aquarium has taken in two rescued sea otter pups from the California coast, a girl named Mara and a boy named Gibson! Their stories start off sadly but have real turns of luck. The aquarium writes:

Mara stranded at approximately one week old near Port San Luis in San Luis Obispo County, California on January 17, 2019. She was rescued, and efforts were made to locate her mother albeit unsuccessful. After being cared for at another facility in the Golden State, she was deemed non-releasable by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the search for a permanent home began.

Georgia Aquarium was selected as Mara’s new home due to its ability to care for a young pup who requires round-the-clock care. The Aquarium staff was in California preparing Mara for her trip to Atlanta, when unfortunately, another pup stranded.

Gibson stranded at approximately three weeks old on March 12, 2019 near the Carmel River in California where he was separated from his mother during a large storm. The response team tried to return him to his mother, who was visible and vocalizing, but the storm surge made it near impossible. After those attempts were unsuccessful, the only option for him was euthanasia. Given the Aquarium’s expertise and already planned transport back to Atlanta with Mara, an emergency placement request was made so that Gibson would call Georgia Aquarium home, too.

If a permanent home had not been available for either of these pups, they would have been euthanized.

The pups started off their new lives in style, flying from California to Georgia on a private jet stocked with lots of ice and with the temperature set for optimum sea otter comfort!

For now, Mara and Gibson will stay behind the scenes at the aquarium to grow and learn to otter, but the plan is for them to eventually join the aquariums’s other sea otters, Brighton, Bixby, and Cruz.

We are thrilled that these pups found their forever home and have each other - and soon, more friends!