Lootas, beloved sea otter matriarch at Seattle Aquarium, dies at age 23

The oldest sea otter to live at the Seattle Aquarium has died, the aquarium said.

Lootas the sea otter died Sunday at age 23, the aquarium said in a news release. She may have been the oldest sea otter to live at any zoo or aquarium in North America, The Seattle Times reported.

The sea otter first came to the Seattle Aquarium in 1997,when she wassix weeks old. Her mother was killed in an accidental boat crash in Kodiak, Alaska, the aquarium said.

“This small ball of fur required 24-hour care that involved our staff, pup-care experts and an amazing team of volunteers for several months,” former Director of Life Sciences C.J. Casson said in a news release. “Anyone who worked with Lootas learned to appreciate the challenges she faced for survival — the challenges that all sea otters face in the wild.”

Lootas gave birth to her first pup in 2000 and had two other pups. Her caregivers called her “Grandma,” the aquarium said.

The Guinness Book of World Records said the oldest sea otter in captivity lived to be about 28 years old. Etika also lived at the Seattle Aquarium.

“Everyone at the Seattle Aquarium, especially the expert team who cared for Lootas, feels profoundly grateful for her long life and the opportunity to help shepherd her through it,” the aquarium said. “She’ll be deeply missed, remembered with love — and her remains will reside at the Burke Museum, where she will continue to contribute to education and conservation for years to come.”

This story was originally published November 17, 2020 at 8:45 PM with the headline "Lootas, beloved sea otter matriarch at Seattle Aquarium, dies at age 23."