One of Vancouver's cutest residents is doing better.
Luna the sea otter pup is one of two otters rescued this summer and cared for by the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre. Tofino, the first one, is now almost four months old and thriving in the upper otter habitat at the Vancouver Aquarium.
Luna didn't have as easy a start; she came in at just 1.58 kg and was under critical care for a while. Both Tofino and Luna were moved over to the Vancouver Aquarium at the same time, but while Tofino was moved to a public habitat, Luna stayed out of view.
Now, at about two months old, she's doing well, says Jessica Debenedetto, the assistant curator of marine mammals. Luna is hitting all her milestones her caretakers are setting, like eating clams.
"She's been behind the scenes in our vet office," says Debenedetto. "So basically it's close to the vets working in there."
Friends with Tofino
A big milestone recently was a chance for her to meet Tofino; because they're both young otters neither are too big to play with the other, so they can hang out together sometimes.
"She's also losing her pup coat, which is a great milestone for young otters," says Debenedetto. "That means they're going to be able to start to deep dives and kind of do those foraging behaviours."
"We're already seeing that from Luna, when she goes for swims in the big pool here with Tofino, she is chasing Tofino trying to keep up with her, diving down to the bottom."
Visitors to the aquarium right now might actually be able to hear Luna, as she and Tofino like to chat with loud, squeaky calls (it may sound alarming, but it's just them talking to each other).
"She's a little bit of a drama queen"
At the same time, as she grows she's also developed a bit of a personality, describes Debenedetto.
"I would say she has a flair for the dramatic," says Debenedetto.
"She likes calling out; even today I was playing with her a little bit and she took a moment to think, 'is this scary or fun?' And then she let out a huge scream and then she came and played."
Luna is also brave, Debenedetto says. Like a little kid with older siblings, Luna tries to keep up with the older, bigger and more experienced Tofino.
"Luna is chasing after Tofino and wants to play and have all those kinds of fun times and she's smaller, so it's a little daunting, but she does really well," says Debenedetto.
Her favourite toy right now is a sort of replica kelp that caretakers will pull along through the water.
"Something Luna really likes is when she's doing her swims we can hold the kelp and she'll hold on to it," says Debenedetto. "She likes chasing the kelp and holding on and being dragged around, which is always really fun. She seems to really enjoy that."
Likely unreleasable
While the caretakers and team with the Vancouver Aquarium are teaching Luna the best they can about being an otter, it doesn't replace the skills that she would've learned from her birth mom.
"So the first six months of their lives they're going to spend every day with mom," says Debenedetto. "Mom's gonna be making sure they're eating, they're grooming, they're sleeping."
Because she won't have all the skills she needs to survive, she'll likely stay in human care for the rest of her life, possibly at the Vancouver Aquarium; Debenedetto notes that the ultimate decision will be made by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
"Mom would be teaching her lots of things—how to groom her fur, how to find food," says Debenedetto. "All of those crucial skills we can teach her, but we're not as good as a mother otter."
For now, Luna will stay behind the scenes at the Vancouver Aquarium as she learns more otter skills, grows, and meets the other otters in the other habitats.
Watch: V.I.A.'s exclusive visit with Luna at the Vancouver Aquariuam
@vancouverisawesome Luna is living behind the scenes at the @Vancouver Aquarium while she grows and gets stronger. #vancouverisawesome #seaotter #otter #Vancouver #otters #babyotter #babyanimals #lunatheseaotter @VA Marine Mammal Rescue ♬ Little Things - Adrián Berenguer
