Our favorite rescued baby sea otters are so grown up now
Our favorite rescued baby sea otters are thriving in their new home at the Georgia Aquarium, almost four months after they were found stranded off the California coastline.
Mara and Gibson were saved from euthanasia in March as part of a special double rescue mission and airlifted via a climate-controlled private jet to their new home in Atlanta.
The sea otter pups have moved into the main sea otter habitat in the aquarium's Cold Water Quest, and are finally on display for guests to come see them.
They have begun eating solid foods such as shrimp and scallops and are also slowly being introduced to the other adult sea otters.
In March, Mara was found stranded without her mother in San Luis Obispo County, California, at just one week old. When local wildlife authorities couldn't find her mom and 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.
Both sea otter pups eventually found their way to the Georgia Aquarium together, and as you can tell from their recent photos, are growing bigger and stronger by the day.
You can follow more about Gibson and Mara and other inspiring stories in the Animal Planet series, "The Aquarium," which airs on Sundays.
