Kayakers Find Starving Baby Otter Separated From Mom On California Beach

MONTEREY (AP) -- A malnourished baby otter found stranded on the beach by kayakers in central California is recovering at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Becka Kelly of the Morro Bay Harbor Department says the tiny female otter somehow got separated from its mother before it was found Oct. 19 midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Kelly says officers drove it around by boat to let it call out to its mom, but there was no response.

Aquarium officials believe the animal, weighing just over 2 1/2 pounds, was only about a day old when it was found.

Aquarium spokeswoman Angela Hains says the baby otter will require intensive care over the next few weeks. She said caregivers are guardedly optimistic about its prognosis.

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