Aquarium loses a prized otter, CHP saves wayward kitten

Rosa swims by the glass for aquarium visitors in September 2022. She was the oldest sea otter on exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and died at age 24. ARIANNA NALBACH — MONTEREY HERALD

CHP Officer Ryan Moore poses with Chippy the kitten after finding her on Highway 1 in Monterey. Moore said he couldn’t leave the kitten to fend for itself, and was happy to be able to rescue her. PHOTO COURTESY OF SPCA MONTEREY COUNTY

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Rosa, the grande dame of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s otter population, died in June at the ripe old age of 24.

“She passed away peacefully, surrounded by her caretakers,” said Aquarium veterinarian Dr. Ri Chang.

Along with being the oldest otter at the aquarium, Rosa was one of the longest-lived individuals of her species. In the wild, female sea otters live for about 15-20 years, according to the aquarium. Rosa played a pivotal role in the aquarium’s sea otter surrogacy program as one of the most productive surrogate mothers in the program’s history, raising 15 pups, according to the aquarium.

Rosa was found at about four weeks old stranded on a beach in Santa Cruz County and was taken into the aquarium’s sea otter program in September 1999. She was released back into the wild in April 2000 but with reports of her climbing onto kayaks and interacting with scuba divers, officials deemed she had too much interest in humans to make it in the wild. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined she should be removed from the wild due to the potential risk to herself and people.

Rosa, named after a character in John Steinbeck’s “Tortilla Flat,” found permanent residence at the Aquarium in 2002.

Of the 15 pups Rosa raised, at least one of the females has raised multiple offspring in the wild, contributing to the recovery of the threatened species. Selka, another one of Rosa’s pups, is currently on exhibit at the aquarium and is continuing Rosa’s legacy, acting as a surrogate mother herself.

Rosa also acted as an ambassador for her species, as she contributed to a number of research studies and contributed to the scientic body of knowledge on southern sea otters while she was in the wild. Both Aquarium scientists and University of California researchers were able to collect data on Rosa’s caloric intake, core body temperature and behavior.

Throughout her residency at the Aquarium, Rosa garnered a fanbase online who watched her through livestreams of the Sea Otter Cam and, in recent years, taking part in virtual birthday celebrations that raised money for the aquarium.

After learning of Rosa’s death, people took to the internet to share condolences and the impact she had on them. The aquarium’s Instagram post sharing the news received over a thousand comments, while other community members have taken to the aquarium’s Discord server and X (formally known as Twitter) to talk about her passing and share art they had drawn for her upcoming birthday.

Melanie Oerter, curator of marine mammals, said on Instagram, “It has been a privilege and to say we will miss her is understated.”

Another animal story

A CHP officer stopped traffic on Highway 1 in Monterey to help a kitten running in the middle of the lanes in mid June.

“A motorist saw the scared kitten and I was called to the scene,” said Officer Ryan Moore. “At first I stopped on the left-hand side, but when I went to grab the kitten, she ran across the lanes. I immediately thought ‘oh gosh, please don’t get hit!’”

Knowing that the kitten was skittish and likely to run again, Moore stopped traffic briefly. As he attempted to catch the kitten again, she jumped into the wheelwell of a Prius and crawled in the bowels of the car. The driver of the Prius, Tom Greely, was on his way to work.

With the kitten hiding out of sight and out of reach, Moore contacted the SPCA for help and SPCA Humane Investigations Supervisor Jacob Duarte arrived on scene to help the kitten. Duarte said he could hear the kitten, but couldn’t see or reach her. He ensured she was in a place where she would not get hurt with the engine on. Then, for the safety of the kitten and highway drivers, Greely slowly moved the vehicle to a parking lot nearby, with CHP following him with emergency lights on. Once in the parking lot, Duarte could hear the kitten more clearly without highway traffic nearby. He used a camera on a wire to help locate the kitten and had to remove a few car parts, but was able to get her safely.

The rescue delay made Greely over two hours late for work, but he said saving the kitten was worth it.

The kitten was name Chippy in honor of the officers who rescued her. After recovering at the SPCA she was adopted by Moore and his family.