Quote:
Originally Posted by marino760
Out of control hormones makes for a crabby and more aggressive pregnant sea otter.
|
Sea otters (there are two genetically distinct subspecies) are listed under international law as endangered. This restricts what authorities can or cannot do with an inconvenient individual. Mustelids (otters, wolverine, badgers, mink, weasels, skunks, martens) are intelligent, bold and aggressive by nature. It's what they're all about.
Authorities cannot do anything surgically (spay/neuter) or chemically (hormone manipulation) to make her less aggressive because that would probably remove her from the breeding population. The last thing a T&E species needs is fewer breeding adults. Unless the language of the ESA or associated regulations has changed, there are no provisions in the legislation permitting neutering of breeding age adult individuals.
They cannot relocate her just anywhere more convenient (such as AK) because mixing subspecies of listed organisms is a huge no-no biologically. She's most likely the southern subspecies. AK otters are primarily of the northern subspecies. Otters are highly social and highly mobile too, so trying to relocate her to a more remote place might not solve the problem because she'll travel until she connects with another raft. Keeping her individually in captivity would be cruel.
Sea otters who have been raised or rehabbed by humans can become a real headache. If they survive their initial capture or captive upbringing, they become habituated very quickly making them hard to release to the wild again. They use tools (rocks to break clamshells etc.)...not too far fetched that she learned to use and enjoy a floating manmade object. It's possible she learned to haul out on floats while in captivity. Why shouldn't she commandeer one now? And, because they lose their natural fear of humans it can be difficult to keep them from getting into trouble with humans after they are released. Or find an institution to house them for the rest of their lives.
I spent a few years earlier in my career managing threatened and endangered species husbandry and research permits for the USFWS Pacific Region...so dealt with rehab permitting, placement, and managing non-releasable otters, males in particular. They may look cute but temperament-wise anything but. They are powerful violent breeders that can kill females. A close look at wild females will show major scarring due to overly aggressive males. One of the more frustrating tasks was finding appropriate zoological institutional homes for non-releasable sea otters. They are voracious predators requiring large volumes of very cold clean water so expensive to keep. If they're bold and intelligent enough to withstand captivity stress, they're also a PITA to other captive otters (beating them up, even killing them). The same massive teeth and jaw musculature that make short work of shellfish can cause a lot of damage to flesh and bone. Again, because of their T&E status they can't be neutered for everyone's protection.
I have great respect for this gutsy little gal but I'm also afraid for her. Some irate yahoo could decide to eliminate what they see as a nuisance. Sure, the punishment for killing a T&E species is pretty substantial but that hinges on actually getting caught.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
