The sea otter that was blinded by a gunshot blast near Tofino in October 2013, died in his sleep this morning.
Walter, who was estimated to be 13 to 15 years of age when injured, went through more than two years of rehabilitation and remained in the care of the Vancouver Aquarium. He was deemed non-releasable by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and has been getting long-term care at the aquarium.
According to the aquarium, Walter’s health issues worsened in the spring and as he aged, his activity started to slow down. He could not groom himself as well and began to show changes in his general body condition. In an attempt to combat his health issues, staff provided extra care, modified his habitat for an older and weaker otter and changed his diet.
On Tuesday, he was eating and behaving normally but passed away early this morning.
“Our marine mammal biologists did a terrific job making his last few years pain-free and happy. He was introduced to and interacted with our female otters on a regular basis and even allowed our staff to touch him for exams, which is amazing for an adult male otter that had never interacted with people before,” said aquarium head veterinarian Dr. Martin Haulena in a press release.
Haulena said the last two years of Walter’s life were “exceptional” due largely to the effort of the aquarium marine science centre’s team. Walter’s age was estimated at 15 to 17 years of age when he died. In the wild, male sea otters have a life expectancy of 15 years.
“Although his injuries were inflicted by a human, Wally’s story shows there are others who will go above and beyond to care for animals in distress,” Haulena said.
“He will continue to be an inspiration for a lot of people and a terrific example of the great work our institution does every day. I’m very proud.”
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