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Subscribe to RSSDid you hear that collective "Awwwww" on Thursday? If you tuned into TODAY, you got an eyeful of a story that's otter-this-world cute.
Last month, an infant Southern sea otter was found stranded near Cayucos, Calif. The orphaned pup was rescued and transported to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago where she is now being raised in a nursery with not one – but a dozen human "moms."
Those surrogate parents are teaching the 10-week-old otter, named Cayucos, how to be, well, an otter. That includes grooming her thick coat and feeding herself while floating on her back.
A team of aquarium workers are teaching Cayucos, an irresistibly cute ten-week-old, 13-pound bouncing baby sea otter, how to be an otter.
"Those first few days when she lost her mom were probably very scary times," said one of her caretakers. Consider our heartstrings TUGGED.
Cayucos brought the cute in a big way on TODAY, squeaking and swimming her way into viewers' (and TODAY.com staffers') hearts.
TODAY
I mean. Does it get cuter than this??
Immediately after the segment aired, TODAY's Twitter was hopping with otter-loving messages: "Ready to lose a man card, but that otter is awesome!" tweeted Curtis Willis (@willic01).
"That baby otter story tipped the cute scales! way to go Shedd Aquarium!" tweeted Kellie Marshall (@kmitrix).
We have to apologize to Nicole Cavaliere (@nicolecav1), who had a rough morning: "Does the today show HAVE to play a clip about an orphaned otter after i put on mascara? #sob."
And looks like Kevin Ryan's in for a challenge: "My girlfriend now wants to install a pool in our living room so she can keep an otter as a pet," he wrote on Facebook.
More unbearably cute things in Animal Tracks:
Cutest thing TODAY: Porcupine snacks on sweet potato
Penguins or seals? Vote on which is cuter!
Orphaned polar bear cub shows off antics on TODAY
Amy DiLuna, TODAY.com senior editor, understands that she can't have a baby sea otter of her own, but that doesn't mean she's happy about it.
Leave a Comment:
So glad Cayucos is doing well. She's one of more than 500 sea otters -- orphaned pups and ill or injured adults -- rescued by the Monterey Bay Aquarium sea otter program since 1984. Many have been returned to the wild; many others, like Cayucos, have found homes at Shedd and other aquariums across the country. You can learn more, and learn how you can help sea otters, here:
Ken Peterson, Communications Director, Monterey Bay Aquarium
So great that Cayucos is doing well in Chicago. She is one of more than 500 sea otters -- orphaned pups, and injured and ill adults -- rescued since 1984 by the Monterey Bay Aquarium sea otter program. Many are returned to the wild; many others, like Cayucos, have found homes at other aquariums across the country. You can learn more, and learn what you can do to help save sea otters, at montereybayaquarium.org/cr/sorac.aspx.
Ken Peterson, Communications Director, Monterey Bay Aquarium
Reaching for the insulin now.
That was a beautiful story, up until the reporter mentioned the otter will 'NEVER BE RETURNED TO THE WILD'. So she gets to be stuck in an aquarium where everyday she along with other animals have to endure screaming children banging their little fists on the window driving their stress levels through the roof. I'm still conflicted if it would have been better for her to just have been left out there, possibly dying but not suffering her whole life