APPLE VALLEY, Minn. — The Minnesota Zoo has two tiny new residents, and they're otter-ly adorable.
The zoo announced Friday that a pair of northern sea otter pups orphaned in Seward, Alaska are now receiving 24/7 care in Apple Valley after they were rescued in September.
Named Denali and Nuka, the two pups are living the good life and being cared for by zoo staff 24/7 after a rough start in life.
According to the zoo, Nuka was found on Sept. 9 after a staff member with the Alaska SeaLife Center witnessed an orca attack on Nuka and her mother. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service helped the ASLC Wildlife Response team bring Nuka into their care.
And just a few days before that, ASLC, which has had a relationship with the Minnesota Zoo for years, received reports of an abandoned otter pup near Kenai, Alaska. The 5-month-old, named Denali, was malnourished and dehydrated and also taken in by the ASLC.
The pair of pups were transported to Minnesota after receiving care in Alaska, joining the three adult male sea otters that came to the Minnesota Zoo from the ASLC nearly 17 years ago.
“We have separate spaces set up for each of the otters,” Kurt Heizmann, Minnesota Zoo Director of Animal Care, explained in a statement. “One will be in our reserve pools, separated from our three resident male sea otters, while the youngest otter will be cared for in her own behind-the-scenes nursery."
Denali and Nuka will stay out of the public eye for a while as they recover and grow, but you can look out for updates on their progress on the Minnesota Zoo's social media pages.
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