An injured sea otter found stranded in Seward last month is under the care of the Alaska SeaLife Center.
The juvenile otter was first spotted over a month ago in the Seward small boat harbor. It had trauma on its face and its head was swollen. He was later found and rescued from a sheltered outdoor hallway of an apartment complex several blocks from the water. It is believed he crawled there to escape high winds.
Halley Werner is an animal care specialist with the SeaLife Center’s Wildlife Response Program. She’s worked closely with the otter in his recovery efforts.
“Right now, he’s doing a great job at grooming his coat, which is always a good sign,” Werner said. “At this point, we’re trying to figure out the extent of his injuries and what the best course of action is for treatment.”
The otter has injuries to his eye, nose and face, including a fractured nasal bone. An initial exam also revealed he has pneumonia and parasitism. SeaLife Center staff believe the otter may have also suffered a concussion, and are corresponding with veterinarians and animal surgeons for a treatment plan.
Werner says otters are high energy mammals and are more challenging to care for than other marine animals. But, she’s hopeful the otter will recover and be released back into the wild.
“Anytime we take an animal from the wild, we want to release that animal if at all possible,” Werner said. “It’s definitely a hope, but we just don’t know at this point.”
If you find a stranded marine animal in Alaska, report it to the 24/7 Stranded Marine Animal Hotline by dialing 1-888-774-SEAL. Do not pick up the animal.
