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More News about the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Raising penguin chicks at the Aquarium
Gerry’s birth father, Amigo, hatched here in 2016 and was also raised by Boulders and Walvis. This is the first time we have had three generations of a penguin family on exhibit. Gerry, like their father Amigo, has already been expressing their independence and feistiness.
Caring for Rosa as she ages
Like most of the sea otters on display at the Aquarium, Rosa was rescued as a stranded pup and has grown up in front of millions of visitors — in person and around the world, through our Sea Otter Cam. Now she’s growing old and requires extra attention as she ages.
At 24 years old, Rosa is at the upper end of the life span for a southern sea otter. She remains active, though she has developed age-related health problems. That requires extra care from our dedicated Sea Otter Exhibit staff and our veterinary team. Sometimes that involves moving Rosa behind the scenes to deliver that specialized care.
“Rosa is among the oldest southern sea otters on exhibit anywhere,” said former Curator of Mammals/Registrar Chris DeAngelo. “She's proof that regular veterinary care can extend the life span of exhibit animals over that of their wild relatives.”
Today, despite her health problems, Rosa still eats and grooms regularly. The Sea Otter exhibit team monitor Rosa's health, and that of the other sea otters, during daily feeding and training sessions. Dr. Mike and his veterinary colleagues monitor their health and watch for signs of discomfort or disease. All of the otters receive a complete physical three times a year, including radiographs, blood tests and dental care.
The mammalogists (staff that work with our sea otters) have changed some training techniques to accommodate Rosa’s limitations. Fewer individual trainers work with her, to provide more consistency, and they’ve eliminated all behaviors that involve "going away from us" such as swimming to the windows or doing retrievals where she needed to see an object to bring back, Chris said.
The sea otter team also uses her eye exam behavior as an opportunity to administer eye drops she needs.