It is the extraordinary life story of an otter.
A newborn sea otter is on his way to full recovery after surviving a vicious attack by two wild orcas earlier this month in Alaska.
The female pup – who has not yet been named – and her mother were floating in the ocean near Homer, Alaska on September 9 when a killer whale targeted the pair, according to the Alaska SeaLife Center.
A chilling video taken on a nearby fishing boat shows the whales using their powerful tails to strike the otter from below the surface, sending the pup and its mother flying into the air.
The orcas relentlessly chased the pair, taking turns kicking the otters and pushing them below the surface.
The mother otter refuses to dive below the surface to escape an attacker – a typical survival method for the animal – because her pups are only a few hours old.
A newborn sea otter floats with its mother near Homer, Alaska when a killer whale strikes.Kaiti Grant / Alaska SeaLife Center
Eventually, the whale separates the pair and targets the mother until she does not reappear.
The orcas swim away after their kill, leaving the crying orphan alone to survive the first few hours of its life without its mother.
Fortunately, an ASLC lab technician and a member of the wildlife response team happened to be on a fishing boat and rushed into action to save the newborn.
“By the time the whole event was over, the wild orca had left the area, and the pup was crying for his mother, I knew we had to figure out what to do next,” Natalie Hunter said.
After getting permission from the ASLC, Hunter and his colleagues – who also have experience in wildlife rescue – pulled the pup from the water and immediately began care.
The pup was separated from its mother before the whale killed it.Peter Sculli / Alaska SeaLife Center
“His cries were loud, and when we got him out of the water, he was drenched … His coat didn’t repel the water and keep it as it should.”
The group rescued the puppy just in time, according to the ASLC.
Assessments showed the baby was tired and hungry and still attached to its umbilical cord — indicating it was only a day old at most.
The puppy’s umbilical cord was still attached, indicating he was only a few hours old. Kaiti Grant/Alaska SeaLife Center
He was taken to the ASLC, a public aquarium, research, and wildlife response center in Seward, a city about 100 miles south of Anchorage.
The newborn beaver attack is a unique story for the center, which usually responds to struggling animals without knowing the circumstances that led to its rescue.
“It is rare that we know how the patient reacts to the wildlife arriving at the location and the condition in which it was found. For most cases of abandoned seals or baby beavers that are reported, we ask reporters to observe for a long period of time to see if the mother returns. In the case that this rare occurrence, we know exactly what happened to this newborn pup,” said Jane Belovarac, ASLC Curator of Wildlife Response.
Natalie Hunter gives bottle milk to the baby otter she rescued. Kaiti Grant / Alaska SeaLife Center
The center later discovered that killer whales came from a group of transient orcas known to predate animals.
The orphan is the second to be admitted to ASLC in less than a week, the center said.
Another baby girl was found five days earlier abandoned on the side of a busy road about half a mile from the Kenai River.
The pups will be under 24-7 care at the Alaska SeaLife Center. Kaiti Grant / Alaska SeaLife Center
It is possible that a 3-month-old child is dehydrated, malnourished and showing signs of severe stress.
Both otters are under constant supervision at ASLC as they work towards their recovery – northern sea otters receive constant care and attention from their mothers until they are around six months old.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
