A stranded sea otter pup will be joining the Aquarium family. Chloe has been behind the scenes at the Aquarium of the Pacific for the past few months and is now ready to go on exhibit. Chloe the sea otter pup will debut on exhibit on Thursday, November 21 starting at 9 a.m.
Chloe was born November of 2012, found stranded on Pismo Beach on December 1, 2012 and rescued by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sea Otter Research and Conservation (SORAC) program. She was housed and cared for at the Monterey Bay Aquarium for seven months and then moved to her new home at the Aquarium of the Pacific in June 2013, after being deemed non-releasable to the wild.
According to the Aquarium of the Pacific’s mammal biologists, Chloe is far from a picky eater. “She enjoys all the food the sea otters are fed here at the Aquarium, including restaurant-quality clams, shrimp, and squid,” said Dudley Wigdahl, Aquarium of the Pacific curator. Chloe is now eating roughly seven pounds of food a day. Chloe weighed 28 pounds when she first arrived at the Aquarium and now weighs 34 pounds. Long Beach resident Marla Graham was the winner of an Aquarium membership opportunity to name the sea otter pup and selected the name Chloe. Since Chloe’s arrival to the Aquarium, she has been undergoing basic training to aid biologists in providing her daily care and for enrichment. Chloe has learned stationing—learning how to sit calmly in front of her trainer. She is also working with a target pole, learning to target a shape, and learning to take vitamins in liquid form.
WHERE: Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802
Starting November 21 at 9:00 a.m., the public can see Chloe, the new sea otter pup, in the sea otter exhibit. The Aquarium of the Pacific is open 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily and until 8:30 p.m. during Discounted Thanksgiving Late Nights on 11/29-30. Aquarium admission is $25.95 for adults 12+, $22.95 for seniors 62+, $14.95 per child (ages 3-11), and free to Aquarium members and children under age three. Admission during Late Nights is $14.95 per person after5:00 p.m. For more information, visit www.aquariumofpacific.org or call (562) 590-3100.
Photo Credit: Robin Riggs
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