Baby Otter, Born to Spill Survivor, Survives Illness

An Alaskan sea otter pup that was born last month to a survivor of the Exxon Valdez oil spill was near death earlier this week, but has improved dramatically, a Sea World spokesman said Friday.

Dan LeBlanc said animal keepers noticed on Wednesday that the 5-pound female pup was listless and was not squeaking as loudly as usual. In order to examine the pup, which is still unnamed, keepers removed her from her mother, Brownie, one of six Valdez survivors at the marine park.

“She was hypothermic--very, very cold,” LeBlanc said. “We thought we were going to lose her.”

After being treated with antibiotics for a gastrointestinal problem, however, the pup has stabilized. LeBlanc said it is unclear whether her health problems are a result of her mother’s ingestion of crude oil during the March, 1989, spill.

The pup is now being hand-reared by animal keepers. It spends its days on a tiny water bed, takes occasional swims, and eats a marine mammal milk substitute. LeBlanc said keepers hope to wean the pup off milk in three months so it can be returned to the exhibition pool where the other otters reside.