The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is on the hunt for a 5-year-old sea otter dubbed “Otter 841” who has shown “unusual behavior” after approaching multiple surfers on the California coast.
SAN FRANCISCO — Wildlife officials were trying to capture a wayward sea otter Thursday that has been wresting surfboards away from surfers and aggressively approaching kayakers off the coast of Santa Cruz, California.
A team of wildlife experts with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the nearby Monterey Bay Aquarium were working to capture and put the animal in a new home, the service said. “Aggressive behavior in female southern sea otters may be associated with hormonal surges or due to being fed by humans,” federal officials said.
In September, a team of California wildlife officials and Monterey Bay Aquarium staff hazed sea otter 841 by yelling loudly at her and using a paddle to beat the water in an effort to create a negative association with people, said Kevin Connor, a spokesperson with the Monterey Bay Aquarium."Ultimately, that effort was not successful and as we can see, the interactions with people continued and escalated and now we've got an otter 841 that is very bold,” Connor said.
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