Surrogate otter mom at Long Beach aquarium is rehabilitating pup 'better than any human ever can'

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The pup could become Aquarium of the Pacific's first surrogate-raised otter to return to the wild — if she masters the skills needed to hack it in the ocean.

Millie, a fatigued mother of an infant, was ready for a nap. So she grabbed her baby, flipped it around, threw it on her belly and started grooming its tail — a soothing behavior. Millie, a sea otter, is rearing what could be the Aquarium of the Pacific’s first orphaned pup to return to the wild. As a surrogate mom, she’s teaching her adopted baby everything she needs to know to fend for herself — in the hopes she can hack it in the ocean in a few months.

From there, the aquarium tried pairing orphans with otters that hadn’t been 'primed' by a recent birth. More success. They continued refining the methods, distancing humans from the caretaking process as much as possible. Caretakers wear disguises reminiscent of Darth Vader's getup during feedings — so they’re not recognized as people. Panels are put around their pools to block the sight of humans, and the otters are monitored remotely.

 

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