Monterey Bay Aquarium and Aquarium of the Pacific Partner to Expand Sea Otter Surrogacy Program

We’ve posted every so often about Monterey Bay Aquarium’s sea otter surrogacy program, which pairs stranded or abandoned wild sea otter pups with an adult female sea otter at the aquarium who teaches the little grasshopper everything there is to know about being an otter. If all goes well, the pup can be released back into the wild where he or she can contribute to population recovery and ecosystem health. The program is SO. COOL.

And now there’s big news, as the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Aquarium of the Pacific just announced their partnership on the surrogacy program! The Aquarium of the Pacific will become a partner facility where surrogate sea otter mothers help rear rescued pups in anticipation of release. Indeed, the aquarium has already taken in four-year-old sea otter Millie, herself a rescue, who they think would make a good surrogate mom - she’s already raised a pup and she’s got the right disposition for the job.

This is Millie:

Doesn’t she look like a responsible mom?

The Aquarium of the Pacific writes:

The Aquarium of the Pacific announced today that it will become a partner facility for rehabilitating rescued sea otter pups, rearing them with the help of surrogate mothers, and coordinating their release back into the wild. The Aquarium is also welcoming a new sea otter named Millie, who they hope will be a surrogate mother to the orphaned sea otter pups. “We are pleased to partner with the Monterey Bay Aquarium to help this threatened species recover. This program not only helps increase the chances of survival for orphaned sea otters in the wild, but also helps ecosystems off the coast of California recover,” said Dr. Sandy Trautwein, Aquarium of the Pacific vice president of animal husbandry.

This project will make the Aquarium a partner with Monterey Bay Aquarium in its sea otter surrogacy program. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has rescued, rehabilitated, and released stranded sea otter pups since the 1980s. This program has an established record of success releasing otters back to the wild and has been proven to help in the recovery of wild populations. A 2019 study showed that pups released through this program, and their offspring, account for over half of the sea otter population growth in Elkhorn Slough, a critical estuary habitat in Monterey Bay, from 2002 to 2016.

“We have developed this successful surrogacy program over three decades, learning the best way to care for these pups and understanding the potential benefit they bring to marine ecosystems. Partnering with the Aquarium of the Pacific will help us save more otters and benefit ocean health on the California coast,” said Michelle Staedler, Monterey Bay Aquarium sea otter program manager.

The new surrogacy area at the Aquarium of the Pacific will be built behind the scenes of its Molina Animal Care Center and will accommodate three to four rescued sea otter pups each year. In addition, the Aquarium of the Pacific will develop interpretative material to educate the Aquarium’s visitors on the surrogacy program and the significance of recovering southern sea otter populations. A lead grant from the California’s State Coastal Conservancy Sea Otter Recovery Grant Program will support the initial construction of the sea otter surrogacy facility. The Aquarium is also launching a public fundraising campaign to support the surrogacy program. Anyone interested in getting involved and providing support of this important conservation work can visit this link and make a gift online or call (562) 951-1701.

Here’s to helping more sea otter pups and the environment!