An orphaned sea otter pup rescued in critical condition in British Columbia last month is thriving under 24-hour care, but a veterinarian at the rescue facility says it91裸聊视频檚 unlikely she will ever be able to return to the wild.
The female pup, named Tofino after a vote conducted on social media, is being looked after at the Vancouver Aquarium91裸聊视频檚 Marine Mammal Rescue Society, where she has grown from about two kilograms to more than three kilograms.
Society executive director and head veterinarian Martin Haulena says Tofino is hitting many milestones in her recovery and growth, is eating well, and may transition from formula to solid food in a few weeks.
Haulena says Tofino has shown interest in diving when placed in the water and has improved her swimming, manual dexterity and self-grooming.
The pup was rescued alone near her namesake town on the west coast of Vancouver Island in mid-June.
Haulena says while the pup91裸聊视频檚 ultimate fate depends on Fisheries and Oceans Canada, orphaned otters are poor candidates for re-release because pups are typically taught how to survive in the wild by their mothers.
91裸聊视频淥tters are very, very dependent on their mom,91裸聊视频� Haulena says. 91裸聊视频淭hey learn a lot from their mom. They learn how to forage from their mom, learn where to forage, what to forage, how to use tools, how to dive and how to escape from predators. All (that) is very learned behaviour.91裸聊视频�
Rescuers do not know what became of Tofino91裸聊视频檚 mother but it is very unusual for pups to be abandoned.
91裸聊视频淪ea otter moms are meticulous and very caring mothers,91裸聊视频� Haulena says. 91裸聊视频淭hey are very responsive to their pups, so the assumption is 91裸聊视频� when there is an orphan pup 91裸聊视频� is that something bad has happened to mother.91裸聊视频�
A sea otter pup rescued in 2020, a male nicknamed Joey, was eventually transferred from the rescue society to Vancouver Aquarium after 33 days of care and is still housed there.
Haulena says the public attention on the rescue society generated by Tofino is the highest he has seen since Joey91裸聊视频檚 rescue in 2020, and the society is seeking donations to support the cost of caring for the pup and other animals at the centre.
He says the pup is no longer in critical condition, spending periods of 20 to 45 minutes in the water.
91裸聊视频淪he91裸聊视频檚 made a few attempts, but she can91裸聊视频檛 dive yet. And that91裸聊视频檚 very normal for a pup of her age, but in the next few weeks, I expect she will pick that up or certainly within the next month,91裸聊视频� Haulena says.
He says she is 91裸聊视频渙n track and doing well.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e been doing this for a lot of years, and I know that things can go wrong. So I91裸聊视频檓 always a little bit cautious, but I91裸聊视频檒l describe it as cautiously optimistic at this point.91裸聊视频�
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