Orphaned sea otter pup rescued in Alaska, taken to SeaWorld for care

A 5-week-old orphaned sea otter pup found stranded by strong currents on some rocks in Alaska was taken to SeaWorld San Diego to be cared for.

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Cinder, a northern sea otter, was found Aug. 18 near Homer, Alaska, KTLA reported. She was underweight and dehydrated. While her condition had stabilized, she was deemed unreleasable by federal wildlife officials, KGTV reported.

She was taken to SeaWorld San Diego Sept. 7 and given constant care.

Cinder is in an otter nursery where she is given a special milk formula every three hours. Animal trainers are working to teach her how to swim and groom herself.

At some point, she will be introduced to the four other female sea otters at the park. Mocha, Coco, Clover and Pumpkin were also orphaned and rescued when they were pups. They range from 5 to 9 years in age.

"The pup is doing well so far," Bill Hoffman, SeaWorld's curator of mammals, told City News Service. "We've seen a lot of positives. We've seen some growth, we've seen an increase in weight and appetite and she seems to be getting used to her new surroundings very well."

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