Monterey Bay Aquarium supporters get otter-video treat in return for generosity
The Monterey Bay Aquarium thanked its supporters after Giving Tuesday with a video treat.
Fans got to view a full two minutes of rescued sea otter pups on the aquarium’s Facebook page on Wednesday.
“We thought you otter know how much we appreciate your support during Giving Tuesday and every other day of the year, so here’s two straight minutes of rescued sea otter pups being groomed and fed by our staff and volunteers,” the aquarium says. “Thank you for making this work possible!”
In the video, the trainers are dressed in all black with a mask in an effort to keep the pups from becoming used to human interaction or connecting humans with food, the aquarium explains.
The goal is to eventually return the pups to the wild.
Best. Job. Ever. Our veterinarian Dr. Mike cares for almost 30,000 patients, from fluffy sea otter pups to schools of silver sardines—and he loves them all! Caring for animals is at the ❤ of the Aquarium’s mission, so we’re expanding our Animal Care Center to keep up with growing needs. Your support will help us make a difference for ocean animals—now and for years to come.
Posted by Monterey Bay Aquarium on Wednesday, November 1, 2017
The aquarium has a Sea Otter Program, implemented in 1984, which studies the threatened species in an effort to bring its numbers back up, according to the aquarium.
In the 1920s, the otters almost went extinct from hunting, the aquarium explains. Now there are about 3,000.
“We also rescue, treat and release injured otters; raise and release stranded pups through our surrogate program; and seek homes for sea otters that can't return to the wild,” the aquarium says.
Wednesday’s video has already been viewed at least 88,000 times and has 2,870 shares.
This story was originally published November 29, 2017 at 1:58 PM with the headline "Monterey Bay Aquarium supporters get otter-video treat in return for generosity."