A pair of rescued southern sea otters have found a new home at the New York Aquarium.
Pumpkin and Clover were rescued in California as young pups — one was less than a day old when she was found. As they grew, their rehabbers realized they were unlikely to survive in the wild, and deemed them un-releasable.
The otters, now 10 and 13 years old, lived in several accredited zoos and aquariums before they made their way to Coney Island last month to join the New York Aquarium’s 12-year-old rescued male sea otter, Quint.
The three otters are getting along swimmingly, and this week, Pumpkin and Cover made their public debut in the Sea Cliffs exhibit, ready to charm guests with their fuzzy faces and delightful habits — sea otters are known for holding hands as they sleep in the water.
“These two otters have incredible stories, and we are pleased to see how well they are settling into their new home,” said Dr. Leigh Ann Clayton, Director of the New York Aquarium, in a statement. “As part of our commitment to protecting marine wildlife, we are proud the New York Aquarium has participated in the southern sea otter rescue and rehabilitation program with other AZA-accredited aquariums.”
Since 1991, 11 rescued otters have called Coney Island home. Southern sea otters are a threatened species, and while they’re now protected by federal law, the furry creatures still face dangers from habitat loss, oil spills and shark bites. Only about 3,000 live in the wild today.
Not all rescued otters can be re-released into the wild. Otters rescued as babies, like Quint, Pumpkin and Clover, don’t have anyone to teach them how to be an otter out in the open ocean.
Instead, they enter the loving hands of keepers at AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums. Without ocean kelp forests and sea urchins to attend to, the otters are usually kept busy in other ways. Quint receives up to five training sessions a day, keeper Meagan Fontanez wrote in a May 2024 blog post, where he busts out tricks in exchange for snacks.
In the wild, male southern sea otters might live to be between 10-15 years old, and females from 15-20. In captivity, they often live longer: Jacob C. Otter, who lived in Sea Cliffs for 14 years, lived to be 20 years old. When he died, he was the oldest sea otter in human care.
