Southern sea otter 841 observed with pup, wildlife biologists encourage ethical wildlife viewing

Southern sea otter 841 observed with pup, wildlife biologists encourage ethical wildlife viewing

October 26, 2023

Wildlife biologists have confirmed that sea otter 841, the female southern sea otter that gained attention for her unusual behavior approaching surfers in the Santa Cruz area, has given birth to a pup. While wildlife biologists suspected sea otter 841 may be pregnant earlier this year, they were unable to verify the pregnancy without capturing the sea otter to perform a full health evaluation. Hormonal surges related to pregnancy have been known to cause aggressive behavior in female southern sea otters. Because sea otter 841 has recently been observed with a pup, biologists will continue to monitor her and assess her behavior. There are currently no plans to attempt capture of sea otter 841 or her pup.

Feeding and caring for a pup requires significant energy reserves. Not equipped with blubber like whales and seals, sea otters must rely on their fur coat and their super-high metabolic rate to stay warm. The average adult sea otter has to actively forage and eat 20 to 30 percent of its body mass in food each day just to meet its energy requirements. That's why it's incredibly important for sea otters to conserve their energy, and why they are often seen resting on their backs on the water's surface when they are not foraging—their survival, and the survival of their pups, depends on it. 

To help give sea otters and their pups the best chance at survival in the wild, it's important for members of the public to give them and their pups space, especially when recreating on the water. Any attempts to approach from the water could be detrimental to the otter’s survival. Southern sea otters are protected by the Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, and California state law. These laws prohibit the unauthorized harassment, hunting, capture, or killing of these animals.

Approaching a sea otter so closely that it changes its behavior may constitute a violation of these laws and could result in penalties, including fines up to $100,000 and potential jail time up to one year.  

We ask that everyone please adhere to the following guidelines for the safety of both people and southern sea otters

• Be alert: Be aware of your surroundings and alert to nearby wildlife when recreating. 
• Maintain a safe distance: If a sea otter notices you, you are likely too close and should back away. 
• Keep at least 60 ft. (or five kayak lengths) away, passing by parallel rather than pointing directly at any animals and moving slowly but steadily past rather than stopping. 
• Slow down: Take caution in areas where sea otters are known to be present. Watercraft should slow down around kelp forests, where sea otters often rest but can be difficult to see. Be aware that a sea otter may come up from underwater unexpectedly.    
• Keep pets leashed: Keep pets on a leash on and around docks and harbors, and never allow interactions, even if the animals appear to be playing. Look for a designated pet beach as an alternative. 
• Never feed sea otters: Feeding otters can cause them to become aggressive which could result in their removal from the population and placement in an animal care facility. 

Additional background on southern sea otters including habitat, life cycle, and range:  https://www.fws.gov/species/southern-sea-otter-enhydra-lutris-nereis

A reminder on ethical wildlife viewing: Please don't harass the sea otters

August 7, 2023

Santa Cruz, Calif. - Recently, a female southern sea otter displaying highly unusual aggressive behavior with surfers and kayakers in Santa Cruz, California has attracted a lot of attention. Wildlife officials professionally trained in sea otter conservation and behavior continue to monitor the sea otter, however capture attempts have been unsuccessful. The decision to attempt capture was made for her own safety and the safety of humans recreating in the area. In the meantime we have seen a significant increase in human-caused disturbance to sea otters in Santa Cruz and other areas along the Central California coast, including jet skis and small watercraft getting far too close to resting sea otters. 

Unfortunately, all that extra attention from the public could be harmful or even lethal to sea otters in the area. 

 “These reports of increased human-caused disturbance are alarming and could be fatal to the sea otters if the disturbance causes them to over-expend energy, especially mothers who need energy reserves to have the strength and stamina to feed and raise their young pups,” said Gena Bentall, Director of Sea Otter Savvy, an outreach and education program that educates community members, commercial tourism companies, and other ocean users about ethical sea otter viewing along the Central California coast. “Sea otters live each day paycheck to paycheck energetically. Human disturbance creates a deficit in their already taxed daily energy budget.” 

A southern sea otter grooms while her pup nurses in Moss Landing, Calif. Sea otter moms are tough. Female sea otters expend enormous amounts of energy on pup-rearing, which they do without assistance from the pup's father. By the time the pup nears weaning at around 6 months old, mom’s daily energy demands are almost twice as high. When prey is limited, that makes mom’s job even harder.

“Sea otters face significant challenges in the wild, from shark bites to adapting to a changing climate, all while maintaining the energy to survive and raise their young. Additional unnecessary human-caused disturbance adds another threat to their already difficult life in the wild,” said Lilian Carswell, southern sea otter recovery and marine conservation coordinator with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “By maintaining a safe distance and giving them their space, you can help sea otters thrive in the wild.” 

While getting up close and personal with a sea otter may seem adorable and harmless, it can cause harm and sets a bad example when it comes to how we interact with wildlife. Sharing photos and videos of close wildlife encounters causes further harm by encouraging others to seek out those interactions as well.  

Getting too close can interfere with the animal’s ability to forage and get essential rest, ultimately affecting the animal’s overall health.  

Why is resting so important for otters? 

Not equipped with blubber like whales and seals, sea otters must rely on their fur coat and their super-high metabolic rate to stay warm. The average adult sea otter has to actively forage and eat 20 to 30 percent of its body mass in food each day just to meet its energy requirements. That's why it's incredibly important for sea otters to conserve their energy, and why they are often seen resting on their backs on the water's surface when they are not foraging—their survival depends on it. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Why were the agencies trying to capture this sea otter? 

Sea otters are naturally wary of people. Due to this sea otter’s unusual and repeated aggressive behavior approaching people and biting surfboards, and her apparent lack of fear of humans, the agencies agreed that the sea otter posed a potential threat to the public and herself. Efforts to employ hazing techniques to prompt the sea otter to avoid people have so far been unsuccessful. Sea otters have very strong jaws and may carry zoonotic disease that could be passed to a victim if bitten. Additionally, engaging with people and chewing on surfboards pose risks to the sea otter, including a potentially fatal intestinal blockage from consuming styrofoam.   

The team will continue to monitor the sea otter and make attempts when conditions are favorable so long as the sea otter’s behavior continues to pose a potential threat to the public or herself. If you are bitten by a wild animal, contact your physician immediately.

What would cause this aggressive behavior? 

This sea otter’s aggressive behavior may have been the result of a number of causes. Aggressive behavior in female southern sea otters may be associated with hormonal surges or due to being fed by humans. Although this sea otter was born in an animal care facility, she was raised by her mother with minimal human contact. When she was released, she was monitored by wildlife biologists. She behaved normally in the wild for over a year before interactions with people began. 

This sea otter exhibited similar unusual behavior in the Santa Cruz area in September 2022, at which time CDFW and Monterey Bay Aquarium staff successfully hazed her, preventing further incident throughout the winter. There have been no reported interactions with people by this sea otter while at her overwintering site. 

What should I do if a sea otter approaches my kayak, surfboard or other watercraft? 

• Your behavior can help keep sea otters wild! Stay calm and discourage interaction. Do not try to touch, pet, feed, or photograph the sea otter. 
• Immediately move away from the sea otter and make yourself large and noisy.  
• Splash the water with your paddle, splash water at the sea otter, bang on your surfboard, hit the kayak with your paddle. 
• If a sea otter approaches a member of your party, assist that person in keeping the sea otter off their kayak or board and by deterring the sea otter with noise and splashing. 
• Use your paddle or another object to block access if a sea otter tries to climb aboard your kayak or surfboard. Federal laws protect sea otters, and harassing or injuring a sea otter is illegal. However, a gentle nudge with your paddle to prevent a sea otter from climbing aboard is acceptable if needed to protect you and the sea otter from harm. If the otter climbs aboard, rock your kayak/board or otherwise make it an unstable platform. Do not attempt to move the otter with your hands. As soon as the otter is off your craft, leave the area immediately. 

How can I help sea otters off the water? 

Be a good sea otter steward off the water. Recognize that posting videos and photos of dangerous sea otter encounters may promote similar wildlife interactions in the future. Use care when you share! Never allow your dog to chase, harass, or interact with a sea otter (on or off the water). A dog can injure a sea otter, and a sea otter can easily harm or kill a dog. Even interactions perceived as “playful” by dog owners can lead to injury or even death. Direct interactions with sea otters also risk disease transmission between your pet, you, and the sea otter. 

What techniques were used to try to capture the sea otter?

Multiple capture techniques have been attempted in accordance with environmental conditions and the sea otter's behavior. These techniques have included both surface and underwater approaches that have been developed for emergency responses such as oil spills and for sea otter care, research, and conservation. 

How do trained teams attempt capture of a sea otter?

For more than 30 years, sea otters have routinely been captured for research to aid in their recovery and to understand their role in the ecosystem. These captures allow researchers to evaluate the health of individuals and to apply identification tags to facilitate monitoring in the wild. Monitoring contributes key data that helps scientists assess the overall health of sea otter populations.

Wildlife biologists professionally trained in sea otter conservation and behavior attempt capture by employing techniques that minimize risk to the animal and take into account personnel safety, the safety and health of the sea otter, the sea otter's behavior and location, water clarity, risk of disturbing other sea otters in the area, and the likelihood of success. If the team's assessment of the situation during staging for an attempt indicates undue risk due to one or more of these factors, the crew may stand down for several hours to wait for conditions to change or may call off the capture attempt entirely. The primary technique used to attempt capture of sea otter 841 requires professionally trained divers to approach the sea otter underwater using rebreathers, a diver propulsion vehicle, and a Wilson trap, which consists of a soft-coated aluminum frame and a net with a drawstring. Upon capture, the animal may splash and dive in the trap, which is kept at the surface, but quickly settles before being transferred to a specially constructed capture box or kennel and transported with ice or in a climate-controlled vehicle for a full health assessment by a trained veterinarian.

The videos below show wildlife biologists conducting a previous dive capture of a sea otter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnLcdp5mKVQ

Will the sea otter be euthanized if she bites someone?

No, euthanasia is not under consideration now, nor would it be in the future for this sea otter. Ocean users should understand and respect the risks posed by entering ocean waters and the plethora of ocean life that call these waters home. 

Wildlife officials attempt safe capture of unusually aggressive sea otter in Santa Cruz

July 14, 2023

Santa Cruz, Calif. - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) are responding to reports of a 5-year-old female southern sea otter exhibiting concerning and unusual behaviors in Santa Cruz, California, including repeatedly approaching surfers and kayakers recreating in the area. Sea otters are naturally wary of people, but this individual has been aggressively approaching people and biting surfboards.

Upon capture, the sea otter will undergo a health assessment and eventually be rehomed in a zoo or aquarium. 

Due to the potential public safety risk, a team from CDFW and the Monterey Bay Aquarium (Aquarium) trained in the capture and handling of sea otters has attempted capture of the sea otter when conditions have been favorable since July 2, 2023. Standard methods for capturing healthy wild sea otters have been unusable or ineffective so far due poor underwater visibility, the sea otter’s wariness of nets from previous capture attempts, and the sea otter’s behavioral patterns varying from day to day. Scientists suggest successful capture may take days or weeks given logistical considerations, the sea otter’s behavior, and shifting environmental conditions.

“The usual method for safely capturing healthy, wild sea otters is a clandestine underwater approach,” according to Colleen Young, an environmental scientist and sea otter biologist with CDFW. “In this case, however, the water has generally been too murky for us to see the animal from below. We are adapting other capture methods to this situation but must ensure the safety of both the sea otter and the people attempting capture, which has limited our options and opportunities.”

The sea otter is tagged with a radio transmitter and is being actively monitored by wildlife biologists. The Service authorized the capture of the sea otter after recommending hazing techniques, which were only temporarily effective.

“The goal is the safe capture of this female sea otter to remove the potential public safety risk while also recognizing and acknowledging the important role sea otters play in coastal ecosystems along the Central California coast,” said Lilian Carswell, Southern Sea Otter Recovery and Marine Conservation Coordinator with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “While this sea otter's behavior is highly unusual, this situation amplifies the importance of always keeping a safe distance from all wildlife and not encouraging interactions, such as feeding, that may put an animal or yourself at risk.”

Due to her repeated aggressive behavior and potential public safety risk, upon capture the sea otter will be transported to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where she will be examined by experienced veterinary staff. The Service, CDFW, and the Aquarium will work with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to find her a long-term home in a zoo or aquarium. Euthanasia and other lethal methods are not under consideration.

“Although this otter was born in an animal care facility, she was raised by her mother with minimal human contact,” said Jess Fujii, Sea Otter Program Manager with Monterey Bay Aquarium. “When she was released, she was monitored by wildlife biologists. This otter behaved like a typical otter in the wild for over a year before interactions with people began.”

This sea otter exhibited similar unusual behavior in the Santa Cruz area in September 2022, at which time CDFW and Monterey Bay Aquarium staff successfully hazed her, preventing further incident throughout the winter. There have been no reported interactions with people by this sea otter while at her overwintering site.

Fujii added, “While the exact cause for this sea otter’s behavior is unknown, aggressive behavior in female southern sea otters may be associated with hormonal surges or due to being fed by humans.”

Wildlife officials urge kayakers, surfers, and others recreating in the area to avoid approaching sea otters or encouraging any interactions with wildlife. If you see a sea otter near you, leave the immediate area.

To report a human-sea otter interaction, call the Monterey Bay Aquarium at (831) 648-4840.

About southern sea otters

Southern sea otters are listed as federally threatened under the Endangered Species Act. They are also protected under the Marine Mammal Act and California state law. Sea otters play a fundamental role in the ecological health of nearshore ecosystems. Their presence in the ocean enhances biodiversity, increases carbon sequestration by kelp and seagrass, and makes the ecosystem more resilient to the effects of climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.

Learn more about climate change .

Unlike whales and seals, sea otters lack blubber. Instead, they rely on their dense fur coat and elevated metabolism to stay warm. The average adult sea otter must eat 20 to 30 percent of its body mass in food each day just to meet its energy requirements. Sea otters need to conserve energy, which means that uninterrupted rest is an important part their well-being.

To minimize the potential for disturbance and harm to sea otters, people sharing sea otter habitat should:

• Be aware of your surroundings and alert to nearby wildlife when recreating
• Maintain a safe distance - if a sea otter notices you, you are likely too close and should back away
• Keep kayaks at least 60 feet (or five kayak lengths) away, passing by parallel rather than pointing directly at any animals and moving slowly but steadily past rather than stopping
• Keep pets on a leash on and around docks and harbors and never allow interactions, even if the animals appear to be playing
• Never feed sea otters, as they can become aggressive, which could result in their removal from the population and placement in an animal care facility

Like all sea otters along the North Pacific rim, southern sea otters were hunted to near extinction during the fur trade of the 1700s and 1800s. The subspecies survived because a few dozen animals eluded hunters off the rugged coast of Big Sur. Southern sea otters are now protected under the Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act and California state law. The southern sea otter population has grown slowly since receiving federal protections in the 1970s, fluctuating around 3,000 in recent years.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. For more information about our work and the people who make it happen, visit https://www.fws.gov/cno/ or connect with us via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr.