be used to advantage in speeding the adjustment of nervous otters to 
captivity. Mother otters would have drowned their small pups during 
the initial period of anxiety after being placed in the pool if a 
tranquilizer had not been used. Within 5 minutes after an intra- 
muscular injection of Sparine (1 mg. per pound of body weight) the 
mothers lost all fear, tended their pups, and ate normally. The 
effects of the drug wore off in approximately 18 to 24 hours but 
normal behavior continued. No harmful side effects were observed. 
In December of 1957 an attempt was made to transplant eight 
otters via Reeve Aleutian Airways from Amchitka to St. Paul Island, 
Pribilof Islands Reservation. The animals were in excellent condition 
when they departed Amchitka. However, a storm caused delay, and un- 
satisfactory conditions inherent in an unpressurized, heated, passenger- 
carrying aircraft caused rapid deterioration and resulted in the death 
of six animals. The two survivors were taken to Seattle. 
THE PROBLEMS OF HOLDING SEA OTTERS IN CAPTIVITY 
Fur cleanliness 
The sea otter has become adjusted to habitat conditions to which 
it is limited by specialized development of pelage, body form, habits 
and behavior. If it is to be held successfully in captivity its wild 
environment must be simulated in essential respects. It should be 
pointed out that weather and sea conditions at Amchitka prevent the 
construction of an enclosure in the sea, near shore, as was done by 
Russian biologists (May 1943; Barabash-Nikiforov, 1947). The basic 
reason for the failure of early survival experiments is now obvious. 
Under normal conditions in the wild, the fur of the sea otter is water- 
repellent. The skin is never wet but is protected by a blanket of air 
trapped in the fur fibers. The waterproof quality of the delicate fur 
was lost when animals were improperly held, as discussed above. Chill- 
ing, resulting from saturation of the fur, was followed by pathological 
conditions, usually enteritis, and shortly by death. 
When otters were kept in shallow lakes (1951), mud and detritus 
undoubtedly became entangled in fur fibers, admitting water to the skin. 
In the large wooden tank (1954), an insufficient flow of water allowed 
an accumulation of suspended food and fecal matter to accumulate and 
become imbedded in the fur. Also there was not enough space for the 
otters to get out of the water. The same results were encountered as 
in the lake. When otters were given intermittent access to water 
(1956), food scraps and slime became imbedded in the fur during periods 
when water was not available. The progress of deterioration of water- 
proofness was less rapid under the latter conditions because a certain 
degree of cleansing was possible. In addition, inside caging as 
mentioned above with an adequate circulation of outdoor air hindered 
the drying of fur. 
Even in the present outdoor pool, built in 1957, care must be 
taken to limit the number of otters held. If more than five are held 
15 
