Strandings
LOOK
BUT DON’T TOUCH
It is illegal
under the Marine Mammal
Protection Act to touch a marine mammal without the proper authorization.
This is to protect both you and the animal. Although you have the right
intentions you may actually create more harm to the animal by picking
it up. For example, sea otters are susceptible to domestic pet diseases.
If you took the animal to your local veterinarian you could be putting
that animal at more risk than if you left it alone and waited for professional
help. In addition, it can be dangerous for an untrained person to handle
one of these animals; sea otters can deliver a nasty bite if not held
correctly.
The following is a guide on how to respond to the stranding of a dead
or live marine mammal under the authority of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service in Washington (sea otter). If you have concerns about marine mammals
not under the authority of the Fish and Wildlife Service (i.e. whales,
seals and sea lions) please contact National
Marine Fisheries Service (1-206-526-6733).
What to do if you
find a live sea otter in distress?
DO NOT APPROACH OR PICK UP THE ANIMAL
If you see a
sea otter you believe is in distress, or out of its natural habitat, and
want to help, you should call 1-877-326-8837 (1-87-SEA-OTTER).
If possible, post someone to keep dogs, people and other animals away.
Please be prepared to provide the following information to the Stranding
Network:
What is the geographic location of the
animal (give detailed directions, i.e., by a certain boat ramp/road/trail/GPS
location)?
Where is the animal (beach/water)?
How long has it been there?
Have you been watching it the whole time?
How near were you when you were observing it?
How big is it? (size can indicate age of animal)
Are there any obvious signs of injury? Open wounds, gunshots?
Is it in obvious distress?
Are there any other animals in the area?
Have any other animals been near it?
General description of the situation – are there people and dogs
harassing it?
Do you have photos of the animal and its location?
If the sea otter is tagged on either or both of its rear flippers, please
record the color combination, flipper (right and/or left), and numbers.
After receiving
answers to the above questions:
You will be directed to not touch the animal without authorization and
you may be provided further instructions upon assessment of the situation
by the Stranding Responder.
From the information you provide, the Stranding Responder, along with
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Washington Department of Fish
and Wildlife, will formulate a plan of action on a case by case basis.
When
Is A Sea Otter Picked Up For Rehabilitation?
The circumstances
where it may generally be appropriate for a sea otter to be removed from
the wild by a professional or under authority are as follows:
Dependent
pup (less than about
6 months old; half the size of an adult):
Alone,
not injured, observed continuously for 8 hours and no mother has been
seen in the vicinity.
Alone, seriously injured or severely emaciated, and no mother has been
observed for the last 1-2 hours.
Sub-adult
or adult:
Not
visibly injured and has been observed continuously on land for 24 hours
and is acting abnormally. Please be aware that sea otters do haul out
on land occasionally to rest.
Visibly injured or severely emaciated and observed continuously for several
hours.
It is a public safety issue; the sea otter is on a crowded beach and there
are a lot of people and dogs.
Animals can only be picked up by an authorized individual. For more details
on how to become an official part of the Stranding Response Network please
contact the National Marine Fisheries Service or the Fish and Wildlife
Service.
If a biologist
from the Stranding Network is not available to respond to the scene then,
as a last resort, the Fish and Wildlife Service can verbally authorize
someone to pick the animal up. However, this would be a one time authorization
on a case-by-case basis.
What
to do if you find a dead sea otter
If you find
a sea otter carcass, please contact 1-877-326-8837 (1-87-SEA-OTTER). Please
be prepared to provide the same type of information as requested for a
live stranded animal (see above).
The carcass of a freshly dead sea otter can provide important information
to help biologists understand their natural history and physiology. The
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
are especially interested in obtaining sea otters that have recently died.
The carcass is less than 24 hours old if:
There are no maggots
or fly eggs on or under the body
There is no foul odor or dark brown/black fluid emanating from body
The eyes are present and not wrinkled or shrunken
The animal was observed alive within the last 12 hours; i.e., not observed
dead for more than 12 hours
The body is intact and not scavenged
The fur does not pull free in clumps when grasped
If you find a dead sea otter that is less than 24 hours old, please
give us a call and we will try to recover the carcass. Do not disturb
the carcass until you have contacted the Stranding Network. However, if
the tides, predators, or people may disturb the carcass, please secure
it. Please be aware that sea otters can carry diseases that are transmissible
to humans and pets and should be handled with caution. Be prepared to
give the exact location and take photographs if possible. Your help in
collecting this information is invaluable.
