(Photo : Shedd Aquarium/Brenna Hernandez) While pup 681 can't yet dive because her pup fur makes her too buoyant, she has learned to use her rear flippers for swimming.

Abandoned four weeks ago, at only a couple of days old, a sea otter pup rescued by the Monterey Bay Aquarium has not only found a second chance, but a new home far from Pacific coast.

The female pup, unnamed except for her identifier as "Pup 681", was found on Coastways Beach north of Santa Cruz County on Sept. 30 after a local walking the beach that evening heard her crying. Orphaned, researchers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife rescue team retrieved the pup the following morning, and said that luckily she had survived the grueling night alone. She was then rushed to the nearby Monterey Bay Aquarium where she was nurtured for four weeks.

"On arrival at Monterey Bay Aquarium, 681 weighed 1.0kg, which is tiny for a newborn sea otter, and she had been separated from her mother for at least 16 hours" Animal Care Coordinator for the Sea Otter Program, Karl Mayer says. "This meant it was critical that begin to get calories into her as quickly as possible."

After four weeks of round-the-clock care, experts concluded that while the pup had made significant advancements in her growth over the short period of time, that the orphaned pup could not be re-released into the wild. Abandoned at only a few days of age, pup 681 had not yet acquired any necessary skills for survival, and without a mother to guide her way, in the open ocean the pup would be at far too great a disadvantage to survive.

Instead, looking to an institution with 25 years of experience in rehabilitating fragile sea otter pups from an array of situations, researchers found pup 681 a new permanent home at the Shedd Aquarium in the heart of Chicago.

"Shedd, with 25 years of experience in caring for fragile sea otter pups, quickly accepted Monterey Bay's call to provide the tiny orphan with a permanent home" Vice President of Animal Collections for Shedd Aquarium, Tim Binder says."Pup 681's situation was urgent [and] as an organization dedicated to marine mammal care and conservation, we were perfectly position to ensure that this little pup had a home, providing the long-term care needed to survive."

And pup 681 won't be the only one benefitting out of the deal. Though Shedd has years of experience in working with sea otter pups, pup 681's young age and tiny size will allow researchers to investigate the developmental stages, even more than with previous pups that have arrived at the aquarium.

"This rescued animal provides an opportunity for us to learn more about the biological and behavioral attributes of this threatened species, and to encourage people to preserve and protect them in the wild" Binder says.

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