The Monterey Bay Aquarium's popular otter exhibit is set to re-open for the public this coming Saturday, March 23, after months of restoration and upgrading.
Otters Rosa, Abby, Kit, Gidget and Ivy are preparing to once again greet aquarium visitors. These five females not only rotate through the exhibit for children and adults to witness their playful behavior, they also work behind the scenes as surrugate mothers to rescued California sea otter pups. If you're lucky, you may even catch some of the "mother" and pup caregiving within the exhibit.
The aquarium's Sea Otter Research and Conservation program—the only center that rescues and releases California sea otters—has been saving the threatened animals since 1984, with some 600 ill, injured and orphaned otters treated through the program through the years.
California sea otters are a threatened species, with between 2700 and 2800 currently living in the wild along the coast, roughly between Santa Barbara and San Francisco, according to Monterey Bay Aquarium Communications Director Ken Peterson.
"We are part of this big collaboration among state and federal wildlife agencies, universities, and others trying to figure out what's going on with the sea otter population, why they're aren't recovering as quickly as people had hoped, so they can get off the threatened list," said Peterson.
There are no special tickets required to see the otter exhibit, as admission is included—like all exhibits at the aquarium—with the price of admission.
