Watch: Orphaned Otter Kit On The Mend In Clearwater

CLEARWATER, FL — An orphaned 6-week-old otter kit found by a family in New Port Richey is on the mend at Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Finnegan, as he’s been named, was spotted not moving on the ground on March 8 by a family out walking their dog.

“They investigated, and were unsure of the condition of the otter, so they called their neighbor who is a vet tech for a local vet clinic,” the aquarium explained. “After some monitoring and attempts to relocate near water, it was decided to call CMA as this otter’s health was of concern.”

The aquarium, in turn, sent a rescue team to New Port Richey to check out the little critter. Rescuers say Finnegan was in dire condition. His “eyes were rolled back and the pads on his feet were thin,” CMA reported. Finnegan was given glucose and loaded up for transport back to the Clearwater aquarium for triage.

Back at the aquarium, the rescue team put Finnegan under an around-the-clock watch and continued treatments.

On March 17, the aquarium reported that Finnegan is showing strong signs of improvement. Like Murray, another otter kit recently rescued by the aquarium, Finnegan is a great candidate for eventual release, aquarium officials say.

In the meantime, he’s receiving care courtesy of CMA.

Murray was the aquarium’s first rescue of this otter kit season, which typically runs from November through March in Florida. When Murray was brought in, CMA’s Dr. Shelly Marquardt noted he was healthy overall. Murray, who weighed just 4.4 pounds, did have blood glucose levels that were deemed too low. To help the little critter out, he was prescribed subcutaneous fluids.

After Murray was nursed back to health, he was transferred to CROW, a rescue in Sanibel. He’ll remain there in good company until he’s ready to return to the wild, CMA officials said.

While CMA is best known for its high-profile sea turtle and dolphin rescues, saving otter kits is part of its mission, as well.

“Our goal is to rescue any marine life in the area that we can,” David Yates, chief executive officer, told Patch. “It’s part of our legacy.”

Yates said the Clearwater aquarium, known the world over for its work with Winter the dolphin, is filling a need to help otter babies in distress. “(There are) no other groups in our area that do that,” he said. “There really is a need.”

CMA is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing marine life. The organization also has a mission to teach environmental education, conduct research and promote conservation. It was made famous internationally with its highly publicized rescue of Winter, a dolphin that lost her tail after she became entangled in a crab trap line. Winter was fitted with a prosthetic tail, which has enabled her to thrive. Her story was chronicled in the “Dolphin Tale” movies.

Folks who want to help Clearwater Marine Aquarium in its mission to help creatures like Finnegan, Murray and Winter can do so by donating via the aquarium’s website. Donations made to the general Animal Care Fund help with a variety of rescue efforts, including those meant to assist otter kits.

Donations to the animal care fund are greatly appreciated, Yates said.

Rehabilitating marine animals is “very expensive work,” he said. “They’re not paying patients.”

And, for those who encounter otters like Murray in the wild, Yates recommends keeping a safe distance. “Don’t be deceived by their cuteness," he said, they can and do sometimes bite.

For more information about the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife, or CROW, visit that organization online.

Photo and video courtesy of Clearwater Marine Aquarium