320 



NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 68 



A late-winter, early-spring attempt, 1951, to transplant sea 

 otters by ship failed because of insufficient knowledge of the otters' 

 needs in captivity. The 35 animals that were captured on Amchitka 

 Island all died there before any were placed aboard the waiting 

 ship. 



Studies of captive otters were conducted in the winter of 1954 

 on Amchitka and were reported by Kirkpatrick et al. (1955) and 

 Stullken and Kirkpatrick (1955). The knowledge gained through 

 these studies was useful but did not assure survival of captives 

 while awaiting transfer or while in transit to a new location. 



Nevertheless, a transplant of 31 otters captured on Amchitka 

 was attempted between 28 March and 4 April 1955. These otters 

 were carried from Amchitka to the Pribilof Islands in cages with 

 bedding of straw aboard the chartered fishing vessel Paragon. 

 During the trip their fur became matted with filth, and when the 

 19 survivors were liberated each animal left a dirty brown trail 

 in the water. Three of these were recaptured by hand within a 

 few minutes of release. They were soaked to the skin, rigid with 

 cold, and near death. None of the animals liberated was subse- 

 quently seen at the Pribilofs, and it is reasonably certain that 

 none survived. 



In early spring, 1956, Refuge Manager R. D. Jones, with Navy 

 assistance, captured five otters at Amchitka and took them via 

 ship 240 miles to Attn in the Near Islands. Jones told me that the 

 pelage of these animals when they were released was in the usual 

 soiled condition of animals held in dry bedding. No evidence is 

 available to demonstrate whether or not any of these otters 

 survived. 



Because these experiences demonstrated the need for a short 

 period of time in transit, the next experimental transplant was 

 an attempt to take otters from Amchitka to the Pribilofs by air 

 11 December 1957. As described under "Transportation of Cap- 

 tives" none of the eight otters taken aboard a commercial, passen- 

 ger-carrying airliner at Amchitka reached their destination. 



The next experimental aerial transplant was undertaken in 1959 

 when an aircraft could be devoted exclusively to this undertaking. 

 From 6 to 8 May, during a severe storm, 10 subadult otters were 

 captured and placed in the pool enclosure. Three animals, in 

 weakened condition when captured, soon died. Furthermore, the 

 Amchitka pool was too small for 10 otters. Unless the animals 

 were healthy when captured, their chance of survival was reduced 

 by crowding and competition for food. Therefore, when animals 

 died they were not replaced. 



