Océanopolis Brest Sea otters arrive

kiang · 17 Jun 2016

The news of the day (17 June) Three Sea Otters, kesuk, atka and pukiq, arrived yesterday at the Océanopolis of brest. Arrivals of sealife center in Seward, Alaska or they have been collected, the three young otters have arrived at the airport of Paris-Charles de gaule yesterday after a journey of 13 000 km in 24 h in care By The Company Fedex, fort of the experience of the transport of pandas. Tanguy Tower will be the only one to present this species in France and the 3th in Europe. Seven Sea Otters in the pacific will be, this year, entrusted to aquariums around the world

I wonder where the other 4 otters will go?

Abridged from Actu'zoo

Brest. Océanopolis : trois « hôtes de marque » accueillis - vidéo Dailymotion

https://www.facebook.com/actuzoo/ph...716141840318/1076828405729082/?type=3&theater

TeaLovingDave · 17 Jun 2016

Be nice if at least one or two are somewhere a bit easier to reach.....

Considering Living Coasts were meant to be getting Sea Otters, to the point of actually constructing an exhibit for them before the deal was revoked, I'd like it if they were one of the recipients.

Chlidonias · 17 Jun 2016

another article from FedEx about the transfer:
Alaska to France: Otters Reach Océanopolis, Thanks to FedEx

The affected animals are young Pacific sea otters who were injured and orphaned but have recovered. However, they cannot be released into the wild.

In close cooperation with the Alaska care unit teams and those at Océanopolis in Brest, FedEx Express organized the transfer of the otters from Anchorage to Paris free of charge. Transported via McDonnell Douglas MD11 freighters, the animals made a first stop at the FedEx international hub in Memphis, Tennessee, then a second at the hub at Roissy Charles de Gaulle.

These very special passengers finally landed at Brest-Bretagne Airport on 15 June at around 21:30. This last stage of the journey, from Paris to Brest, was provided by Swiss company ASL Switzerland using an ATR-42 airplane. The otters were then driven to Océanopolis in one of the park’s trucks, escorted by a FedEx van carrying equipment and accompanying baggage. This transport is part of the ‘Delivering for Good’ FedEx initiative which allows access to communities around the globe.

The sea otters traveled in specially-designed transport boxes. In between naps, the sea otters were able to snack on capelin, squid and clams. An ice litter placed under the animals allowed them to maintain optimal body temperature throughout the flight.

They were accompanied by Brett Long, Carrie Goertz from the Seward Alaska SeaLife Center and Gina Fisher from the Georgia Aquarium of Atlanta, who ensured their comfort and well-being throughout this journey of almost 13,000 km.

Making the transport time between the Seward care unit and Brest Océanopolis as short as possible was a high priority, with a 24-hour maximum required. Cooperation between the teams involved helped reduce transportation time and administrative obligations and allowed the goal to be met.

The otters are now enjoying their specially-designed 180 m3 pool at Océanopolis and will be available for public view after an acclimatization phase.

The sea otter is an emblematic marine mammal from the coastal areas of the North Pacific. Up until now they could only be viewed by the public in the largest aquariums in Japan and the United States. To date, Océanopolis Brest is the only facility in France to house these species. Among the finest in the world, the Océanopolis otter pools—as well as technical areas—have been designed according to the latest standards in force in the U.S.
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Chlidonias · 17 Jun 2016

and here's an article explaining why the sea otters are being exported (basically they are orphaned/abandoned pups which can't be released again, and there is nowhere for them to go in North America). In this article they mention six pups (including specifically naming the three which have gone to Brest, as these are the oldest three) but some later articles say seven pups.
Alaska SeaLife Center caring for record number of sea otter pups | KTVA Anchorage CBS 11

23 March 2016

It’s an otter overload at the Alaska Sealife Center in Seward. Staffers are currently caring for six sea otter pups, a record number for the facility.

The newest resident is a one-month old male found near Seldovia when he was just a couple days old.

“It’s pretty much all hands on deck to take care of this guy,” said lab coordinator Natalie Rouse as she gave the baby a bottle. “He’s fed every two or three hours. He gets fed less the older he gets.”

Rouse and the other caregivers spend their time mimicking what the otter’s mother would do in the wild.

“She’d be teaching him it’s not okay to bite, which is part of our job,” Rouse said as she towel dried the pup after his bath. “He’s also teething, so she’d be helping him through that.”

He’s one of six male sea otters that have come in in the past few months. One pup was found near Cordova, the rest came from the Kachemak Bay area.

The Sealife Center’s Mammal Curator, Derek Woodie, said since the center is the only permanent stranding facility in Alaska, it’s bracing for even more otters in the next few months.

“Last year was our busiest rescue and stranding season ever,” said Woodie. “We were almost 300-percent higher in our case load than the year before which was also a record year as well.”

The three older otters — Atka, Kesuk and Pukiq — have been at the Seward facility for a few months. Each eats about ten pounds of food a day so the staffers spend most of their time in the kitchen doing meal prep.

“These guys eat a mixture of clam and squid, it’s the bulk of their daily diet,” mammalogist Emmy Wood explained. ”We’re busy pretty much all day from the moment we walk in the door to when we leave taking care of these guys.”

Caring for the otters isn’t just time consuming, it’s expensive, especially for a non-profit organization.

“If you’ve been to the store and seen how much a pound of clams costs … 2,500 pounds just for these guys for the next few months is what I’m looking at,” Woodie said. “One otter is in the tens of thousands of dollars probably.”

Another issue the center is running into is finding enough homes for the pups. Woodie said most of the vacancies in aquariums around the United States are being filled by sea otters from California. Alaska’s otters could end up being world travelers.

Transfers take months of planning and paperwork. Atka, Kesuk and Pukiq are part of the behind-the-scenes tour at the Sealife Center while they wait for their permits to go to a yet-to-be-announced aquarium overseas.

“They’ll be ambassadors for their species and for Alaska as well which is really important,” Woodie said.
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ShonenJake13 · 18 Jun 2016

I agree with Dave; I hope that at least one UK collection gets them!

For example, Living Coasts or somewhere with the space or right temperature like Chester or Edinburgh. That'd be fantastic!

Bib Fortuna · 6 Jul 2016

One of the sea otters already died:

Brest. Océanopolis : décès d?une des trois nouvelles loutres

kiang · 9 Dec 2016

2 new otters will arrive in Brest tomorrow from Alaska.

Brest. Deux nouvelles loutres de mer à Océanopolis

Sneeuwpanter · 11 Jan 2017

Are all 4 otters staying at Brest ? Will there be breeding females imported from the US ? Or is it question if and when a female orphan will be rescued ?

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