Rosa, the oldest otter at California’s Monterey Bay Aquarium and a social media star, has died at the age of 24.
A southern sea otter who lived at the aquarium for more than 22 years, Rosa was a surrogate mother for stranded otter pups.
In a statement, the aquarium said staff noticed a change in Rosa’s behaviour and a decline in her health in recent days. An exam revealed signs of several age-related health conditions, and Rosa was euthanised on 5 June.
Rosa had become an ambassador for her threatened species, also educating and entertaining virtual visitors via the aquarium’s Sea Otter Cam.
YouTuber and Twitch streamer DougDoug has been raising money to mark Rosa’s birthday since 2019. Last year, for her 24th birthday, he raised $300,000.
In a post on X, DougDoug confirmed there will still be a fundraiser this year for the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which also has a presence on Twitch.
Ri Chang, staff veterinarian at Monterey Bay Aquarium, said: “Rosa was a geriatric otter who had multiple health conditions that were beginning to compromise her quality of life. We made the decision to humanely euthanize Rosa, and she passed away peacefully, surrounded by her caretakers.”
Melanie Oerter, curator of marine mammals at the aquarium, added: “Rosa was one of our most playful sea otters – and even at 24 years old, she would be seen frolicking and wrestling with the younger otters.
Aquarium’s oldest sea otter
“Rosa was usually found sleeping against the window while on exhibit with her chin tucked tight into her chest and her tail swishing back and forth.”
Rosa was rescued as a pup in 1999 and was cared for by the aquarium before being released back into the wild in 2000. However, after two years in the wild, she became too interested in humans.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that Rosa should be removed from the wild as she was a potential risk to herself and people. She returned to the Monterey Bay Aquarium in 2002 and went on to rear 15 stranded pups.
At least one of these pups has raised multiple offspring in the wild, contributing to the recovery of the threatened southern sea otter on California’s Central Coast.
Images courtesy of Monterey Bay Aquarium
