Remembering Gidget The Sea Otter

From the creator

We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved sea otter Gidget passed away Sunday evening, despite the efforts of the Aquarium’s veterinary and sea otter teams to reverse a sudden decline in her health over the past week. Ten-year-old Gidget had been a part of the Aquarium family since 2013, and in that time she helped raise four stranded pups. She retired from those duties because of an advancing arthritic condition, but her work for her species never slowed down. Gidget was the basis of the first complete Southern sea otter genome, sequenced by researchers at UCLA a few years ago, that will contribute to ongoing sea otter recovery. Known for her love of diving head-first into buckets and piles of ice, Gidget found a place in the hearts of millions of visitors and fans of the sea otter cam over the past six years. “Gidget touched millions of people with her beauty, charm, and an exuberance of mischief,” said Aquarium veterinarian Dr. Mike Murray. “She is an example of why we do what we do for the animals in our care and for their wild kin.” Her legacy lives on in the orphaned pups she helped rear as a part of our Sea Otter Program with our five other resident sea otters, Rosa, Abby, Kit, Ivy and Selka, and as the face of the sea otter genome. Thank you all for your support of the Sea Otter Program and for being part of the Aquarium family at this difficult time.

Published 2019-02-06 · Watch on YouTube ↗
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