THE SEA OTTER IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN 319 



SHIP 



Otters were carried aboard ship in two ways: (1) in cages 

 with bedding and no water for bathing, and (2) in a cage which 

 included a tank of constantly flowing sea water. Using the first 

 method, when straw bedding could be changed frequently and 

 conditions were such that the animals remained dry and did not 

 chill, they remained in satisfactory condition. The three otters 

 brought successfully from Adak to Seattle aboard a large ship in 

 June of 1954 by R. D. Jones were well protected from the weather. 

 The animals, however, required constant attention and when placed 

 in a Seattle zoo pool the fur became wet to the skin, causing the 

 animals to shiver. In another experiment (April 1955), frigid 

 weather caused chilling and high mortality among the soiled 

 animals resulted. 



An experiment to test the second method was conducted in 

 November-December 1965. A young adult male and an aged female 

 were captured on 7 November at Amchitka and placed aboard the 

 MV Commander. Their cage included a tank having a flow of 

 about 50 gallons of water per minute. Between capture and arrival 

 at Seattle on 3 December frequent storms were encountered. The 

 female, probably near death when captured, refused to eat and 

 died on 13 November. The male **Gus" survived the 3,000-mile 

 trip and arrived in excellent condition. 



It was demonstrated that: (1) sea otters may be transported 

 without food and in small cages aboard unheated aircraft for 

 several hours and arrive at their destination in excellent condition. 

 Delays en route and overheating, however, may result in high 

 mortality. (2) Aboard ship is a satisfactory method of transporting 

 otters over great distances if a pool with an ample flow of clean 

 water is available. (3) For short distances (up to 40 miles, at 

 least) transportation by automobile is satisfactory. 



Transplant Attempts 



The idea of transplanting sea otters from areas of abundance 

 to unpopulated parts of their former range, from which they were 

 extirpated in the 19th century, has long been popular. Since 1950, 

 six attempts to transplant otters were undertaken, the first five 

 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the sixth by the Alaska 

 Department of Fish and Game. A brief resume of these attempts 

 is presented below. Additional information concerning them is 

 given under "Environmental Needs of Captives" and 'Transporta- 

 tion of Captives." 



