Meet Shedd sea otter Kiana
As the sun began to set on Shoop Bay, near Valdez, Alaska, a group of recreational boaters were pretty sure the tiny, screaming sea otter they’d been keeping an eye on all day had been abandoned by her mother, and they contacted wildlife authorities. The 2-pound pup was taken to the Alaska Sea Life Center and treated for dehydration and low blood sugar. Shortly after that, in late March of 2005, Shedd got a call from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, asking if we had room for an abandoned sea otter pup. Enter Kiana.
“Because of our past success and reputation for handling pups well, we were one of Fish and Wildlife’s first choices,” says Ken Ramirez, executive vice president of animal programs and training. He adds that the pup was a good addition to Shedd’s older population of sea otters.
Once again, a nursery was set up in the otter reserve area, stocked with thick towels to keep her fur dry and waterproof and a tub of teething toys to keep her mouth and paws occupied. Every four hours, little Kiana was bottle-fed a high-fat, high-protein formula of blenderized clam, squid, cod liver oil, cow’s milk and vitamins. Her daily intake had to equal 35 percent of her body weight. Like the otter pups before her, she received swimming lessons, followed by grooming lessons to dry and fluff her thick, insulating fur, generating four laundry loads of towels every day until she could care for her coat by herself.
Kiana is Shedd’s youngest Alaska sea otter and, at about 3 feet and 45 pounds, the smallest, although she’s still growing. Despite all the cuddling and one-on-one attention she received as a baby, she is not overly attached to the trainers the way Mari is. “She’s all otter,” says Lisa Takaki, director of marine mammals. Perhaps that’s because Shedd’s elder female otter, Kenai, took the pup under her arm. “She still allows Kenai to treat her like she’s a pup,” says Lisa. “Kenai will drag her around, sleep with her and make sure Yaku isn’t too rough with her – although Kiana is more likely to be the one who is picking on Yaku, not the other way around!”
When she’s not giving Yaku a hard time, Kiana loves the plastic circular sleds that the trainers use for enrichment (another word for play sessions). She likes to sit in the middle of them and rock, groom, or just chew on them. She also loves to play with basketballs, rolling them around.
Lisa adds, “Kiana has a very endearing habit of putting the tip of her tail in her mouth when she is falling asleep.” Sea otters grow up, but they always stay cute. Meet the other sea otters in previous blogs.
Posted by Karen Furnweger, web editor
Aww, so cute about Kiana, Kenai, and Yaku!! Poor little orphan Kiana!! But, she's happy. But, yet, it's good that she's not overly attracted to the trainers. It's better for her life just as to be a regular otter.
Posted by: joe | November 03, 2009 at 06:43 AM