Orphaned sea otter pup now safe and sound at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago

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On the evening of Sept. 30, a California beach-goer heard the cries of a week-old orphaned sea otter pup. The next morning, marine officials were able to rescue the adorable 2-pound otter.

After spending four weeks recuperating at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, the cute female pup, currently going by the name of “Pup 681,” is now in good health at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, considered to be an expert facility in rehabilitating sea otter pups, where she continues to receive around-the-clock care.

The 5-week-old Pup 681 now weighs in at around 6 pounds.

"Pup 681’s situation was urgent," Tim Binder, vice president of Animal Collections for Shedd, said in a press release.

"This rescued animal provides an opportunity for us to learn more about the biological and behavioural attributes of this threatened species and to encourage people to preserve and protect them in the wild."

Six to eight staff members cater to Pup 681’s needs at Shedd Aquarium’s Regenstein Sea Otter Nursey, where the pup is reaching significant milestones: Learning to groom, forage, feed and regulate her body temperature, TODAY reported.

"It truly takes a village to rehabilitate a young sea otter," Binder said. “Our animal care team is teaching the pup how to be an otter.”

"We help her groom because when she comes out of the water, her fur can be really wet, and that is how otters stay warm with really dense insulated fur,” Christy Sterling, assistant supervisor of penguins and otters, told the Chicagoist.

Sterling compared caring for the young otter to caring for a human baby.

“She’s also really young so she’ll help us out and try to learn but sometimes she just falls asleep because she gets really tired.”

Because Pup 681 is still just learning to swim, her caregivers have installed a ramp to help her get in and out of the water — and they are careful to supervise her when she’s in the water. She’ll likely learn to dive soon.

According to the Chicagoist, “Sterling did point out that they see her trying to look under the water and think about giving it a shot.”