Olive the Oiled Otter is a mom again.
That's the news this week the from California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Scientists said they found Olive on Tuesday in Capitola clutching what is believed to be a second pup.
The birth of Olive’s first pup happened last fall and was viewed as a milestone in oiled wildlife rehabilitation because it was the first pup born to a previously oiled sea otter in California.
The birth of this pup further confirms that oiled wildlife can continue contributing to the population after rehabilitation and release, according to CDFW.
Researchers who have been tracking Olive since her release said both mom and pup appear to be healthy.
They say she's been holding, grooming and nursing her new pup at the Capitola surf spot she’s been known to frequent, known to locals as “The Hook.”
Local
“Olive’s second known pup further demonstrates that formerly oiled wildlife can successfully reproduce, again validating the importance of rehabilitating oiled wildlife,” CDFW's Colleen Young said.
Olive was in bad shape when she was brought to the department's Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center in Santa Cruz to be rehabilitated in February 2009.
She got her name because rehab staff used olive oil as part of her washing routine.
After being rehabilitated, she was released back into the wild on April 7, 2009 and has been monitored since. She has stayed local.
Additional information on Olive’s progress and photos are available at www.facebook.com/Olivetheoiledotter.
General information on sea otter research is also available at this link.
