Rialto, an emaciated, sick, and stranded sea otter who was discovered washed up on a remote beach in Washington State has found a new permanent home at the Vancouver Aquarium.
The pup was found without his mother at the edge of Olympic National Park on August 1 with pneumonia and a gastrointestinal infection.
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He was first taken to the Seattle Aquarium and received 24-hour care from a rotating team including specialists from Vancouver.
With the extensive help, Rialto is now thriving and was transported north of the border to his new home.
According to Dr. Martin Haulena, head veterinarian at the Vancouver Aquarium, wild sea otter pups can have low survival rates. “This guy was really sick, so the odds were stacked against him.”
Rialto made his debut at the Vancouver Aquarium on Tuesday, and will eventually be introduced to other sea otters one at a time.
Aquarium visitors won’t be able to see the little guy first hand yet, but they can keep an eye on him by viewing a live-feed from the nursery at the sea otter viewing area and online.
