Two rescued baby sea otters find forever home at Georgia Aquarium
A pair of sea otter pups who were rescued in California found a new home at the Georgia Aquarium.
Mara, who is approximately 10 weeks old, and Gibson, who is approximately 5 weeks old, were part of a special double rescue off the California coast and are now acclimatizing to their new home in Atlanta.
In addition to being recently rescued, the adorable pups also made their television debut live on "Good Morning America" Wednesday.
At just around one week old, Mara was found stranded without her mother near Port San Luis in San Luis Obispo County, California, according to a statement from the Georgia Aquarium. Efforts to locate her mom were unsuccessful and after she was cared for at a local facility, U.S. Fish and Wildlife authorities deemed her non-releasable back into the wild.
As preparations were being made for Mara at the aquarium, Gibson was found separated from his mom following a big storm near the Carmel River in California at just 3 weeks old. After efforts to reunite Gibson with his mom were unsuccessful, Gibson faced euthanasia, until local wildlife authorities found out about Mara's pending transfer.
The pups were then transferred from California to Georgia via a private jet that was chilled to less than 65 degrees and loaded with ice to keep the otters cool.
At their new home in Atlanta, the pups are being well cared for behind the scenes. When they get a little older, guests will be able to get a peek at them at the aquarium's Cold Water Quest gallery.
If the animals had not been rescued, they would have been euthanized, according to the aquarium.
This story was first reported by Animal Planet. You can see more about Gibson and Mara and other inspiring stories in their new series, "The Aquarium," which premieres on May 19 on Animal Planet.
