TO NOT STAND AND COO... over the famous sea otters of the Monterey Bay Aquarium is to have a heart that isn't furry and a mind that's not open to sheer, squee-worthy love. Since we're fairly sure all visitors who stand before a somersaulting, whisker-faced lovebug do squee and do have minds open to love, we're also certain everyone who visits the world-famous Cannery Row institution does a fair amount of cooing. Cooing, of course, leads to giving the otters personalities, and stories, and nicknames, because it is only right that we'd long to know lots more about these web-footed superstars who've captured our affections. There is a way, by making time to visit an on-site aquarium presentation called "Luna: A Sea Otter's Story."
AN ANIMAL'S TALE: The 15-minute show follows "a single sea otter's journey -- from stranding as an orphaned pup to rescue, care, and release by Aquarium staff." Filling in the spaces and gaps of our knowledge, the knowledge that includes what a sea otter faces, the care he or she receives at the institution, and a release back into the Pacific, is how we better build a base for all of our cooing to stand upon, the cooing we do in front of the pool where the otters play. The "threats facing California's otter population," and the aquarium's helpful role, are also discussed in the presentation, so plan not just on the squee-able parts of Luna's arc to come to the forefront but all of the hurdles faced by the otters who call our coast home.
LUNA'S STORY... occurs throughout the day -- check the schedule -- which gives you loads of time to catch a sea otter feeding, a sight that's among the most heart-tuggable at the MBA (though the otters, of course, are quite serious about getting their daily calories in, so they'd view eating as more stomach-fillable than heart-tuggable). Both the presentation, and the live feedings, give a fuller picture to the furry celebrities. Here they are before your eyes, romping and frolicking, and over here is an otter's full and dramatic journey, from ocean to rehabilitation to ocean.
