Seaworld celebrating Sea Otter Awareness Week by sharing rescue, recovery stories

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- SeaWorld San Diego, home to six rescued southern sea otters, is celebrating Sea Otter Awareness Week by hosting educational opportunities for guests.

The celebration is a joint effort between multiple organizations, zoos and aquariums with the goal of highlighting the importance of sea otters in our marine eco system. On Sept. 7 and 28 the Wild Arctic Team will host an educational table with activities for guests.

"Sea Otter Awareness Week gives us the chance to educate guests about the role sea otters play in the health of coastal ecosystems, their remarkable recovery from the brink of extinction, and the ongoing challenges they face,” said Eric Otjen, Vice President of Zoological Operations at SeaWorld San Diego.

Once hunted to near extinction for their fur, sea otters have slowly recovered thanks to protections and conservation efforts. Though they still face many threats including oil spills, pollution and climate change.

Rescued along the California Coast, the six otters at Sea World San Diego have been rescued, rehabilitated and deemed non-releasable by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, according to Sea World San Diego.

Here are their rescue stories, as provided by SeaWorld San Diego:

-- Bennett was rescued in Pebble Beach in December 2024 when he was about two-and-a-half weeks old. Once he was stabilized by Monterey Bay Aquarium, he was transported to SeaWorld San Diego. Bennett is now nine months old and is quick to explore his habitat and readily interacts with new enrichment.

-- Rescued in Monterey Bay, California, Chilly was found as a young pup suffering severe trauma around her abdomen due to entanglement with fishing line and was transported to Monterey Bay Aquarium for rehabilitative care. Unfortunately, the extent of her injuries caused her to be deemed non-releasable. Upon her arrival at SeaWorld San Diego, her animal care team named her “Chilly” due to the heat loss associated with her injury.

-- Coco was rescued in Cayucos, California when she was just one day old. Shortly after her own transport to SeaWorld San Diego, she was joined by Mocha and the pair quickly bonded. Coco and Mocha required late night feeds after their arrival, so they received their names as a tribute to the coffee consumption of the animal care team during that time.

-- Jane was rescued in Monterey, California earlier this year at 2-and-a-half weeks old. She was found weakly vocalizing in the harbor and there was an unsuccessful search for a receptive adult female sea otter in the surrounding areas. Due to her young age, Jane was brought to Monterey Bay Aquarium for stabilization and care. After several weeks of rehabilitation, she was deemed non-releasable and she is now the most vocal of the six otters at SeaWorld San Diego,

-- Mocha was rescued in Davenport, California when she was four weeks old. She immediately became an excellent companion to Coco when she transported to SeaWorld San Diego. Due to her mellow demeanor and maternal behavior, Mocha has since become the first sea otter that new sea otters are introduced to upon their arrival to SeaWorld San Diego. Mocha is the easiest sea otter to identify with her noticeably blonder head.

-- Rey was rescued in Morro Bay when she was three days old. She entered Monterey Bay Aquarium’s sea otter surrogacy program, but this was paused due to a condition that inhibited healthy weight gain. Although she reached a healthy weight around ten months of age, she was no longer a candidate for sea otter surrogacy. Rey was transported to SeaWorld San Diego in 2024 and her favorite activity is playing in snow.

For more information, visit SeaWorldSanDiego.com