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Animals
MPR News Staff

Two sea otter pups, found orphaned along Alaska coast, find home at Minnesota Zoo

A Sea otter pup is seen
Nuka, a sea otter pup now being cared for at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley, was found orphaned along the Alaska coast when she was just days old.
Courtesy of the Minnesota Zoo

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The Minnesota Zoo is providing around-the-clock care for two orphaned sea otter pups that recently arrived from Alaska.

The female pups, named Denali and Nuka, were found just days apart in September and initially brought to the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska — which has a longstanding partnership with the Minnesota Zoo.

Zoo staff spent several weeks helping care for the pups in Alaska, before they were brought back to Apple Valley, Minn.

Sea otter pups are highly dependent on their mothers and face tough odds if orphaned. Zoo staff are helping the pups with eating, grooming and swimming.

“It’s always a challenge working with such young animals, because their health status can change so rapidly,” Dr. Anne Rivas, the Minnesota Zoo’s director of animal health, said in a news release. “Bringing in these otters that do have a little more uncertainty in their medical history adds another layer of difficulty.”

A Sea otter pup is seen
This sea otter pup named Denali was found orphaned in Alaska in September. She was estimated to be about 5 months old. Denali and another orphaned pup, Nuka, are now being cared for at the Minnesota Zoo.
Courtesy of the Minnesota Zoo

Nuka — named after an island off the Alaska coast — was found Sept. 9 when she was just days old, the zoo said. An Alaska SeaLife Center staff member saw an orca attack on the pup and her mother; the mother never surfaced, so officials retrieved the pup.

Days earlier, Denali — named after the highest peak in North America — was found malnourished and dehydrated along a river 5 miles from the coast, with no mother around. She was estimated to be five months old.

“The two pups still have a long health journey ahead and will require close monitoring for several more weeks,” the Minnesota Zoo reported. “They will remain behind-the-scenes for the next few months as they continue to grow and acclimate.”

The zoo already has three adult male sea otters, who arrived from the Alaska SeaLife Center nearly 17 years ago.