CELEBRATE SEA OTTER AWARENESS WEEK AT VANCOUVER AQUARIUM

It’s the most adorable time of the year! Vancouver Aquarium®, an Ocean Wise® initiative, invites visitors to celebrate sea otters during Sea Otter Awareness Week from Saturday, Sept. 22 to Sunday, Sept 30. Watch the six rescued sea otters holding paws, banging their toys, grooming their dense fur, and wrestling one another while learning the science behind these behaviours, the challenges sea otters face in the wild, and how to help conserve this endearing and essential species.

More than just a fuzzy face, sea otters play a vital role in ocean ecosystems. They keep kelp forests in the North Pacific Ocean in balance. (Kelp forests provide a healthy home for marine animals and protect shorelines from wind and waves.) During Sea Otter Awareness Week, get to know the Vancouver Aquarium’s six resident rescued sea otters – Tanu, Katmai, Mak, Kunik, Rialto, and Hardy – and learn about these incredible ambassadors of their species though special programs and activities:

• Watch daily sea otter feeds and enrichment sessions at the sea otter habitat throughout the day.
• Enjoy the sea otter puppet show — fun for the young and the young-at-heart — at 10:45 a.m. daily in the Teck Engagement Gallery.
• Learn about the role sea otters play in coastal ecosystems at the Life in the Kelp Forest program at 12:30 p.m. daily at the Strait of Georgia exhibit.
• Meet Vancouver Aquarium mascot Ollie the Sea Otter from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.
• Get up close with the six rescued sea otters during a sea otter encounter. (Animal encounters are limited and must be booked in advance.)
• Follow @VanAqua on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and tune in to the Underwater Otter Cam to watch sea otter antics throughout the week.

Vancouver Aquarium is located in beautiful Stanley Park and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased onsite or online at Vanaqua.org/visit.

Since the 1980s, Vancouver Aquarium and its Marine Mammal Rescue Centre — the only one of its kind in Canada — have supported sea otter rehabilitation and provided a home for non-releasable animals. To support the Aquarium’s conservation and education efforts and the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre, visitors can symbolically adopt a sea otter by purchasing an Aquadopt Kit.

Vancouver Aquarium
Vancouver Aquarium, an Ocean Wise initiative, is one of the world’s leading accredited aquariums, dedicated to the conservation of aquatic life.Vanaqua.org

Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre
The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre is a hospital for sick, injured or orphaned marine mammals. The Rescue Centre rescues stranded marine mammals and rehabilitates them for release back into their natural habitat. Donate to the Rescue Centre at Vanaqua.org/donate.

Social Media: @VanAqua | #VanAqua | #SeaOtterAwarenessWeek