Baby Sea Otter Found Malnourished and Alone in Alaska Joins Chicago Aquarium Committed to His Care

The otter, who has the temporary name Pup EL2306, was discovered in Seldovia, Alaska, where he was stranded

A sea otter pup has gotten to the "otter" side of a scary situation — and his new home is celebrating his recent arrival.

On Thursday, Chicago's Shedd Aquarium announced a new addition to its Regenstein Sea Otter Nursery after moving in a male northern sea otter pup found alone and malnourished in Alaska.

The otter, who is temporarily being called Pup EL2306, was discovered in late October in Seldovia, Alaska, where he was heard "vocalizing in distress with no mother in sight" as another otter approached him aggressively, according to a release from Shedd Aquarium.

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The Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) discovered the baby otter dehydrated and malnourished, rescued the little animal, and admitted him to the Wildlife Response Program on Oct. 31, where he stayed until the Shedd Aquarium brought him in.

"At Shedd, we are dedicated to the care of animals here, there, and everywhere; we stand ready to assist in times of need," Peggy Sloan, Shedd's chief animal conservation officer, said in a release about the pup, who arrived at the aquarium on Nov. 29.

"With this newest addition to our rescued population of sea otters, we're committed to his long-term care and continuing to create connections for Chicagoans to this important keystone species."

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As part of the otter's care, the aquarium will teach him how to groom — which is usually the mother's responsibility, according to the Associated Press. Per the outlet, this includes pointing to spots on his fur that he then licks or rubs to clean. The otter will also be moving from formula to a diet of clam, which penguin and otter manager Lana Gonzalez told the AP is "restaurant quality."

The otter pup is currently eating small pieces of clam every three hours and is estimated to be eight weeks old. He weighs around 10 pounds.

"As the only permitted stranding marine mammal response facility in the state, our Wildlife Response Program has helped countless animals," Jane Belovarac, wildlife response curator at ASLC, said in a release. "We are thankful to partners like Shedd Aquarium that can support this effort for otters that need a relocation and cannot survive in the wild, and we're excited to continue to follow his journey at his new home."

Related: Day-Old Baby Otter Saved from 'Unusually Dramatic' Orca Attack in Alaska

The otter's journey to his new home was part of a collaboration between the Association of Zoos and Aquarium (AZA) facilities. He joins five other rescue otters at Shedd: Luna, Cooper, Watson, Suri, and Willow.

As Gonzalez explained, "Caring for a little otter pup is just like caring for an infant."

"Once we bring him into our care, he won't be released back out into the natural environment; they're just too used to people. But the good news is that he'll be able to be an ambassador for his species here at the aquarium, so we're really happy about that," she said.

Shedd will provide an update on when guests can see the new addition to the sea otter habitat and when naming plans come together.

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