Science & Nature
Endangered Sea Otters Trained at Shedd Aquarium Are Ready To Become Surrogate Moms and Help Return Rescued Pups to the Wild
A sea otter mom with pup in the wild. Shedd Aquarium is participating in a groundbreaking surrogacy program that's helping rescued pups return to the ocean. (htrnr / iStock)
Shedd Aquarium just executed a complicated trade that sent two veterans to California in return for a newcomer to Chicago.
We're talking about sea otters.
Shedd staff accompanied Suri and Willow on their journey from Chicago to the Aquarium of the Pacific, where the sea otters will now take on the role of surrogate mothers to rescued pups, pups that could then be released back into the wild once they've learned essential survival skills from their new moms.
Suri and Willow were both rescued themselves and are considered “non-releasable." They arrived at Shedd in late 2022, and the aquarium's animal care team has been training them for parenthood.
The groundbreaking surrogacy program was founded in 2002 by Monterey Bay Aquarium, where researchers have documented the improved outcomes for otter pups when raised by their own species versus humans. The surrogate moms model important behavior like how to groom a sea otter's thick fur and how to forage for food.
Suri and Willow were the first surrogates raised at Shedd, but the team didn't return to Chicago empty-handed.
They brought along “Otter 937,” another young female that Shedd's animal care team will now train until she's mature enough to become a surrogate mom.
(Shedd Aquarium)
Otter 937 will remain behind the scenes as she gets acclimated to her new habitat and caretakers, but Shedd visitors may eventually have an opportunity to meet her.
The sea otter population was nearly wiped out in California due to hunting and the fur trade. Protected status and conservation efforts have helped numbers rebound somewhat, but the otters still occupy only a sliver of their former range.
According to Monterey Bay Aquarium, the dozens of sea otter pups raised in the surrogacy program now account for a significant amount of population growth where they've been released into the wild.
The southern California sea otter is one of 28 endangered species the Shedd Aquarium has pledged to safeguard.
Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 | [email protected]
