#sea-otter-conservation

#sea-otter-conservation

The initial investigation by Dr. Ri Chang, the aquarium's veterinarian, found intense inflammation in her stomach and bits and pieces of sand crab in her feces. These symptoms, combined with her age, dehydration, emaciation and lethargy, resulted in an initial diagnosis of a common parasitic infection called acanthocephalan peritonitis, also known as AP. Chang kept their expectations realistic for the otter's recovery - AP has taken the lives of nearly a quarter of southern sea otters over the past three decades.

Sea otters love to play, play, play, play, play and they also have to eat, eat, eat, eat, eat - at least that's what people say - so the Monterey Bay Aquarium is tapping Taylor Swift fans for help. The Central Coast aquarium launched a fundraising campaign Thursday involving a re-release of one of its classic T-shirt designs to support its sea otter program and other marine conservation efforts after noticing a curious flood of $13 donations it could attribute only to Taylor Swift fans.