A California otter is making headlines for her unique, and worrying, interactions with surfers.
In recent weeks, Mark Woodward, a photographer who goes by Native Santa Cruz on Twitter and Instagram has been sharing photos and videos of southern sea otters riding on surfboards they have commandeered. Authorities are particularly concerned about one sea otter, known as 841, who was involved in multiple incidents and can be seen in a video relentlessly gnawing on a board that the aquatic mammal scared a rider off of.
This may seem cute but it’s not, this sea otter was very aggressive and the surfer actually abandoned his board and swam to shore. I believe this is the same otter as in my previous photos, though I understand there was a second otter on the board at first 1/2 pic.twitter.com/VtCeOVQ9tm
— Native Santa Cruz (@NativeSantaCruz) July 9, 2023
Wildlife authorities and experts still don’t have a clear explanation of the five-year-old otter’s behavior, but say they are working to find, capture and relocate her.
While the videos and photos have elicited jokes about the otter reclaiming her watery home, Woodward and the US Fish and Wildlife Service warn that its behavior is highly unusual and puts people and the animals in danger.
“This may seem cute and funny, but it’s getting to be dangerous and I’m afraid that the sea otter, which was born in captivity and released when it was old enough, will have to be captured and live at a rescue sanctuary,” Woodward said on Instagram with a photo of 841 sitting on a surfboard.
Enter the water at your own risk!
— Native Santa Cruz (@NativeSantaCruz) July 11, 2023
I was talking with a reporter when a City employee walked up and posted this sign pic.twitter.com/atK5zUMAv7
The federal and state departments of fish and wildlife say they are aware of the otter and her “aggressive” tendencies and are working with the Monterey Bay Aquarium to find and examine the animal before they find her a new long-term home. They do not know what has caused 841 to go after people in the water but in an email statement said that this type of aggressive behavior in female southern sea otters may be associated with hormonal surges or being fed by humans.
“While there have been no confirmed reports of injury, due to the highly unusual behavior of this otter, kayakers, surfers, and others recreating in the area should not approach the otter or encourage the otter’s interactions,” the statement from the fish and wildlife service reads.
Before the fur trade drove them to near extinction, sea otters once roamed the waters of North America from Alaska to Baja California. They are the smallest marine mammal in North America at up to 4ft long and 70lbs and play an integral role in the coastal ecosystem and are known to help keep sea urchin populations in check, which is vital to protect kelp forests. Today a small population of southern sea otters lives on California’s central coast and the threatened animal occupies just 13% of its historic range.
