A Sea Otter Keeps Stealing Surfboards, And Authorities Are On Her Tail

Wildlife officials determined that a sea otter from California who has a habit of stealing surfboards is endangering both herself and others, therefore she is now on the run.

She goes by the name Otter 841. In 2021, the then-5-year-old female started approaching paddleboarders, kayakers, and surfers in the waters near Santa Cruz. She has since grown more confident.

In a video from last year, 841 can be seen getting on a surfboard and paddling out into the sea. When the surfer tries to get his board back, 841 lunges at him and chases him. She also tore a few pieces of the board off.

The New York occasions said that 841 was caught stealing surfboards three different occasions over the past weekend.

According to the Times, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife declared on Monday that a team of experts will try “to capture and rehome” the otter.

The animal “is tagged with a radio transmitter,” USFWS spokesperson Ashley McConnell wrote in an email to HuffPost. “A team from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Monterey Bay Aquarium are actively monitoring her and will continue to attempt capture when conditions are favorable in the coming days.”

McConnell stated that USFWS is not considering murdering the otter as a solution, despite the fact that 841’s “repeated aggressive behavior” necessitates her being kept in custody.

“I want to emphasize that euthanasia is not under consideration,” she wrote.

It’s unknown how 841 discovered her thefts. According to USFWS, humans who feed them as well as “hormonal surges” in female otters can trigger violence.

“We don’t know the cause of her behavior. … It’s potentially something we may never know,” Monterey Bay Aquarium spokesperson Kevin Connor told HuffPost. “But what we do know is that behavior is not good for her. It’s not good for her survival in the wild.”

Connor is aware of the social media success that 841 has experienced. The notion of an otter stealing surfboards is “genuinely funny,” he said, but “it’s not going to be fun or entertaining if this escalates further.”

Mother of 841 experienced some human difficulties as well. At the Monterey Bay Aquarium, a rescued orphan otter by the name of 723, underwent rehabilitation. In order to prevent otters being prepped for release from developing “anything positive” associations with people, staff employees take extreme care, according to Connor. Caretakers cover their human appearance with dark ponchos and refrain from speaking around the animals to prevent them from becoming accustomed to human voices.

Before approaching kayaks and other people in search of food, 723 had been living in the wild once more for approximately a year. Authorities decided she had overcome her fear of people and would do better living in captivity because there was “clear evidence” that someone had been feeding her, Connor said.

It was discovered that she was pregnant – with 841. Following weaning, 841 was prepared for release into the wild. But after about a year, she began to approach people like her mother did.

Both instances highlight how crucial it is to give wildlife its own area. USFWS advises people to remain a safe distance and never feed wild otters. According to the organization’s website, “if a sea otter notices you, you are likely too close and should back away.”

Otters should be respected for their contribution to the environment as well as for the health of the furry creatures themselves.

“They help keep the ocean and coastal ecosystems healthy and functioning,” Connor said. “They’re top predators. They’re the top of the food chain when they’re in their kelp forest or in an estuary. They balance those habitats.”

If 841 is captured, she will first get a health examination at the Monterey Bay Aquarium before being transferred to an aquarium or zoo that has been granted accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

She currently resides at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California, as for her mother. “Her name’s Millie now,” Connor said. “Living her best life.”