Aquarium Pays Tribute to Charlie the Sea Otter

May 2, 2019

The Aquarium of the Pacific is mourning the loss of Charlie the southern sea otter, who passed away on Monday, April 22. Aquarium staff members had been carefully monitoring Charlie as he was showing signs of slowing down but was still active and alert until he passed away. At twenty-two years old, he was the oldest living southern sea otter at any zoo or aquarium. Wild male southern sea otters typically live ten to fourteen years and females twelve to eighteen years, but can live up to twenty years or more in a zoo or aquarium environment. Charlie was recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records: Wild Things edition in 2018 for his longevity.

Charlie arrived at the Aquarium in 1998 before the facility opened to the public as one of its original charter animals. Orphaned during 1997’s fierce El Niño storms, Charlie was found stranded as a pup in Northern California and was rescued. After going through a rehabilitation program, otter experts determined it was not possible to release him back into the wild, as he had not learned survival skills from his mother as sea otter pups typically do.

Despite his age of 22, Charlie still enjoyed playing in ice and his ice toys. This was apparent when the Aquarium had an otter birthday party for his twenty-second birthday last month. Charlie was beloved by the Aquarium’s staff, members, and the public for his kind nature and intelligence. He was the first otter in the world to give a voluntary blood sample, which aided in his annual physicals and medical exams.

In addition to his role as an animal ambassador living at the Aquarium, Charlie had also contributed to scientific research. From 2011 to 2013 he participated in a study of how sea otters perceive sound at the University of California, Santa Cruz’s Long Marine Lab. The study’s results could inform decisions made by government agencies regarding ocean noise. To participate, Charlie learned to enter a specialized acoustic testing environment, listen for sound signals, and respond to researchers, notifying them whether or not he had heard the sound by touching his nose to a target or remaining still.

Charlie’s fans and supporters can pay tribute to him at the Aquarium on Sunday, April 28. From 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Aquarium visitors will be able to fill out a card in Charlie’s memory that will hang from the railing at the Sea Otter Habitat all day (Aquarium admission is required). For those wishing to make a donation in Charlie’s name, they can visit our tribute page.

California’s southern sea otters are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Hunting in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries nearly wiped out the entire population, and by 1938 only fifty remained. Conservation efforts have grown the population to nearly 3,000, but these animals still face threats, including ocean pollution and habitat loss.