surrogate sea otter mothers

Every year, around 10 to 15 sea otter pups are found stranded off the California coast, often due to storms that separate mother and offspring. The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach is partnering with the Monterey Bay Aquarium to pair pups with surrogate sea otter mothers to teach them life skills and return them to the wild. The surrogate mothers help the pups learn behaviors like grooming, foraging, prey manipulation, and shell opening that humans cannot teach. California sea otters are a protected species and play a critical role in maintaining the balance of near-shore ecosystems. The aquariums have rescued eight stranded pups and are working to increase the population in the wild to protect the ecosystem.