Aquarium apologizes for sea otter tweet perceived as body-shaming

California's Monterey Bay Aquarium has apologized after some people perceived a tweet about a sea otter as body-shaming. The aquarium on Tuesday tweeted a picture of Abby, an otter who helps train orphaned otters how to survive in the wild. 

The tweet featured social media words and phrases such as "thicc," "c h o n k" and "OH LAWD SHE COMIN" which are often used to describe someone who is overweight.

People took offense. The aquarium on Wednesday tweeted a multi-part apology that it called a "learning moment." It called the tweets problematic and offensive. 

The aquarium said it was unaware of the connotations associated with some of the memes.

"If our tweet alienated you, please know that we are deeply sorry, and that we offer our sincerest apologies," the aquarium said. 

In:
• California