The six-week-old sea otter who has stolen hearts around the province has a new name: Tofino. Her care is under close observation at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society (VAMMR) after she was found alone off the coast of northern Vancouver Island a few weeks ago.
Since then, she has been an internet sensation. With her adorable little squeaks and absolutely sweet little paws capturing more than two million views and growing.
But there’s more to Tofino’s story than just her cuteness.
Sea otters are an essential species for the Pacific coast. According to the Vancouver Aquarium, their favourite food is sea urchins. Without sea otters, the urchin population can overwhelm kelp forests, making sea otters’ role in our waters priceless.
However, there was a time in history when that wasn’t as much of a focus. The fur trade wiped out the sea otter population in Canada in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the species was only reintroduced to Canadian waters in the 1960s. Since then, the population has grown, and efforts to protect their habitat have grown along with it.
Her survival is a top priority, which is why she has been receiving around-the-clock care, which is very expensive. However, despite her and other sea otters’ importance to the ecosystem, there’s very little hope she will ever actually be able to return to the sea.
That’s according to Dr. Martin Haulena, head veterinarian and executive director at VAMMR, who says, typically, abandoned sea otter pups this young cannot survive in the wild.
Marine Mammal Rescue Society
“A lot of their behaviour is very much learned from their mom, and that’s kinda where things tend to fall apart from us in reality. When we get an independent pup like this in, we can’t teach everything a mom can teach. We can’t teach the diving, the foraging, how to use your favourite rock… where predators will be, how to use kelp, that sort of stuff.”
Typically the babies stay with their mom for months, learning vital skills to help them survive in the wild.
“A lot of times, they don’t have the skills necessary for release when they come in at this age. Now that is entirely up to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans because she’s not our animal; she’s Canada’s animal.”
They will make that decision at the appropriate time. If it’s determined that Tofino cannot be released, the aquarium and other facilities will apply to become her forever home. However, that will also depend on whether the other rescued otters at the aquarium are willing to accept her, as it’s important that wherever she lives, she’s part of a family.
But the first priority is getting her healthy.
“We aren’t as good as mom,” Haulena admitted, but she is improving. They are using other moms to feed the baby every three and a half hours and she’s gained 50% more weight in the two weeks.
“She’s a baby and she’s doing what babies do, which is sleep a lot.”
Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society
Does she have a distinct personality? Haulena said she sure does.
“She is certainly a sea otter, which means she’s demanding. She tells you exactly what she wants when she wants it. You know, she definitely tells you what she wants to eat when she wants to stop eating when she needs some interaction,” he said.
She also loves swimming and toys.
Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society
“These guys provide a whole variety of toys with her and her dexterity is becoming much more apparent, much better. As days go by here, she’s starting to try and dive in the water, which is kind of cool.”
For the time being, you can catch all Tofino’s videos and updates through the society’s social media, which has been exploding with love from those online for its otter-ly adorable content.
“All animals are excellent, but sea otters are particularly; it’s hard not to like them.”
With files from Giulia Ataide Moraes and Chelsey Devito