SeaOtterHQ
Well-Known Member
I'm sure countless people have been emotionally impacted by the death of a pet, but have any of you felt the same about an animal kept at a zoo or aquarium? What follows is my lengthiest Zoochat post yet, but feel free to share your own experiences even if you can't include as much detail.
I was inspired to write this after the recent death of Riro the sea otter at Marine World Uminonakamichi. Most people outside of Japan haven't heard of Riro, but if you've spent time browsing sea otter pictures on Instagram or other social media you've probably encountered him without realizing it. He was the last male sea otter in a Japanese aquarium, leaving the elderly females May and Kira at Toba Aquarium as the last two remaining in a Japanese facility. Most of Japan's sea otters were imported from North America, but more stringent trade regulations in 1998 put an end to that, and in subsequent decades the number of sea otters has rapidly declined.
Although I never met Riro in person, I've seen so many pictures, videos, and read so many testimonials about him that I feel like I knew him as well as a my own pet. I could tell you all about the small quirks of his behavior, such as as the unique way he'd sometimes thrust his head back while swimming, almost as if he were dancing. One of his signature poses was known as "Pon de Riro" (ポンデリロ), named so because the circular enrichment toy he used resembled a mochi donut, also known as a Pon de Ring. He was also a curious animal that would show interest in his visitors. In a video recorded on December 23, a few days before Riro fell ill and was taken off exhibit, you can see him briefly open his eyes, tap his paw against the glass panel to acknowledge his human guest, and then peacefully float away. It's one of the sweetest "farewells" I've seen from an animal.
And then there was Riro's female companion Mana, who passed away in 2021. You can find many images and videos of them cuddling and grooming and frolicking with each other. It's rare to see a male and female sea otter bond so closely over a sustained period of time, but by all accounts Riro was a gentle soul. He captured so much about what makes sea otters a charismatic, fascinating, and extraordinary species. In some ways he reminded me of Jacob, the sea otter at the New York Aquarium who was approachable enough to sit in the lap of his caretakers.
(In the wild, a male and female sea otter would pair-bond for a few days and then never see each other again. In captivity, where they share the same enclosure for years and there is no competition for food, the pair bond can last much longer. The sea otter couple Eusebio and Amalia at the Lisbon Oceanarium had a similar relationship and sired three pups together. I've also observed sea otter pups rescued at roughly the same time form strong attachments to each other, such as Tofino and Luna at the Vancouver Aquarium last year, as well as Nuka and Denali at the Minnesota Zoo. An orphaned sea otter pup does not survive long in the wild, so two orphaned sea otter pups only have the chance to interact and form bonds in a captive setting. This is an aspect of zoo/aquarium life that even some Zoochatters might overlook.)
Riro brought so much joy to me and legions of his fans. If you can read Japanese (or you're willing to use AI translate), you can search for his name in katakana "リロくん" (Riro-kun) or "リロくんありがとう" (Thank you Riro-kun) and look through the tributes to realize how much he meant to so many people. I've spent the last few days immersed in memories of Riro. His adorable expressions and antics never failed to lift my spirits, and when I learned he was gone I, along with the Japanese sea otter community, mourned as much as someone does when they lose a cherished dog or cat. The aquarium's announcement of his death has received over 11 million views.
As @snowleopard, who lives in British Columbia, has mentioned previously, Americans and Canadians who live on the Pacific coast might take sea otters for granted and not realize how comparatively rare they are, both in the wild and in captivity. This is exacerbated by the fact that most lay people don't know the differences between a river otter and a sea otter, and the media will also confuse the two (even reputable sources like PBS and the Washington Post).
I do wish there were more clarity here, as sea otters are the most differentiated otter species in physical appearance, genetics, and behavior. Only sea otters have flippers on their hind limbs and facial fur that turns gray with age. The most famous "otter mannerisms" such as percussive tool use and hand-holding are likewise really only observed among sea otters. This confusion seems less frequent in Japan, and I've wondered if it's because the words for otter (kawauso) and sea otter (rakko) don't have any overlap.
But because the North American river otter is particularly widespread throughout the continent and one of the most common species found in zoos, this can lead to an incredulous or dismissive response if you tell lay people that sea otters are endangered. In comparison, there are only 15 facilities in North America (8 of these are in Pacific states or Vancouver), 4 in Europe, 1 in Abu Dhabi, and 1 in Japan which have sea otters. While conservation efforts have had success over the decades, a sudden disaster like an oil spill could decimate their numbers in the wild as well.
Unfortunately, Japan's wild sea otter population in Hokkaido is quite small and might not be self-sustaining over the long term. A further complication is that the Hokkaido sea otters are stragglers from the nearby Habomai archipelago, which is under Russian jurisdiction along with the rest of the Kuril Islands. Russia occasionally sends ships to patrol that area and it's a sensitive political issue. This puts limits on what Japan can do for its wild sea otters, and this is also why a surrogacy or rescue program like the Monterey Bay Aquarium's doesn't exist there.
So with only two sea otters remaining in captivity, and a precarious wild population, there's a chance that sea otters might disappear again from Japan. This would be tragic, as sea otters have roots in Japan that stretch back deeper than in North America. They emerged as a distinct species in what is now eastern Russia and northern Japan before navigating the coast of the Bering land bridge into North America. The Hokkaido and Russian sea otters form the subspecies Enhydra lutris lutris, which is oddly understudied compared to the Alaskan/northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) or the Californian/southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis). Since the Hokkaido/Russian subspecies is the oldest and most primordial, studying it more could tell us a lot about sea otter evolution. To my knowledge, the Enhydra lutris lutris subspecies has never been held in captivity either, but I think only stranded pups and individuals in need of rescue should be considered.
I know I've gone on some digressions here, but most of this information is necessary to understand why the death of this sea otter has impacted me so much. Riro was a unique and beloved animal, but I am also worried that both his species and the community which did so much to spread his charms beyond Marine World, a rather small aquarium in a remote location, might cease to exist in Japan within our lifetimes. Riro, along with May and Kira, has done so much to raise awareness of sea otters in Japan, and if there's one silver lining it's that this might inspire more people to take measures to protect this wonderful and important species. Thank you, Riro! May you never be forgotten!
I was inspired to write this after the recent death of Riro the sea otter at Marine World Uminonakamichi. Most people outside of Japan haven't heard of Riro, but if you've spent time browsing sea otter pictures on Instagram or other social media you've probably encountered him without realizing it. He was the last male sea otter in a Japanese aquarium, leaving the elderly females May and Kira at Toba Aquarium as the last two remaining in a Japanese facility. Most of Japan's sea otters were imported from North America, but more stringent trade regulations in 1998 put an end to that, and in subsequent decades the number of sea otters has rapidly declined.
Although I never met Riro in person, I've seen so many pictures, videos, and read so many testimonials about him that I feel like I knew him as well as a my own pet. I could tell you all about the small quirks of his behavior, such as as the unique way he'd sometimes thrust his head back while swimming, almost as if he were dancing. One of his signature poses was known as "Pon de Riro" (ポンデリロ), named so because the circular enrichment toy he used resembled a mochi donut, also known as a Pon de Ring. He was also a curious animal that would show interest in his visitors. In a video recorded on December 23, a few days before Riro fell ill and was taken off exhibit, you can see him briefly open his eyes, tap his paw against the glass panel to acknowledge his human guest, and then peacefully float away. It's one of the sweetest "farewells" I've seen from an animal.
And then there was Riro's female companion Mana, who passed away in 2021. You can find many images and videos of them cuddling and grooming and frolicking with each other. It's rare to see a male and female sea otter bond so closely over a sustained period of time, but by all accounts Riro was a gentle soul. He captured so much about what makes sea otters a charismatic, fascinating, and extraordinary species. In some ways he reminded me of Jacob, the sea otter at the New York Aquarium who was approachable enough to sit in the lap of his caretakers.
(In the wild, a male and female sea otter would pair-bond for a few days and then never see each other again. In captivity, where they share the same enclosure for years and there is no competition for food, the pair bond can last much longer. The sea otter couple Eusebio and Amalia at the Lisbon Oceanarium had a similar relationship and sired three pups together. I've also observed sea otter pups rescued at roughly the same time form strong attachments to each other, such as Tofino and Luna at the Vancouver Aquarium last year, as well as Nuka and Denali at the Minnesota Zoo. An orphaned sea otter pup does not survive long in the wild, so two orphaned sea otter pups only have the chance to interact and form bonds in a captive setting. This is an aspect of zoo/aquarium life that even some Zoochatters might overlook.)
Riro brought so much joy to me and legions of his fans. If you can read Japanese (or you're willing to use AI translate), you can search for his name in katakana "リロくん" (Riro-kun) or "リロくんありがとう" (Thank you Riro-kun) and look through the tributes to realize how much he meant to so many people. I've spent the last few days immersed in memories of Riro. His adorable expressions and antics never failed to lift my spirits, and when I learned he was gone I, along with the Japanese sea otter community, mourned as much as someone does when they lose a cherished dog or cat. The aquarium's announcement of his death has received over 11 million views.
As @snowleopard, who lives in British Columbia, has mentioned previously, Americans and Canadians who live on the Pacific coast might take sea otters for granted and not realize how comparatively rare they are, both in the wild and in captivity. This is exacerbated by the fact that most lay people don't know the differences between a river otter and a sea otter, and the media will also confuse the two (even reputable sources like PBS and the Washington Post).
I do wish there were more clarity here, as sea otters are the most differentiated otter species in physical appearance, genetics, and behavior. Only sea otters have flippers on their hind limbs and facial fur that turns gray with age. The most famous "otter mannerisms" such as percussive tool use and hand-holding are likewise really only observed among sea otters. This confusion seems less frequent in Japan, and I've wondered if it's because the words for otter (kawauso) and sea otter (rakko) don't have any overlap.
But because the North American river otter is particularly widespread throughout the continent and one of the most common species found in zoos, this can lead to an incredulous or dismissive response if you tell lay people that sea otters are endangered. In comparison, there are only 15 facilities in North America (8 of these are in Pacific states or Vancouver), 4 in Europe, 1 in Abu Dhabi, and 1 in Japan which have sea otters. While conservation efforts have had success over the decades, a sudden disaster like an oil spill could decimate their numbers in the wild as well.
Unfortunately, Japan's wild sea otter population in Hokkaido is quite small and might not be self-sustaining over the long term. A further complication is that the Hokkaido sea otters are stragglers from the nearby Habomai archipelago, which is under Russian jurisdiction along with the rest of the Kuril Islands. Russia occasionally sends ships to patrol that area and it's a sensitive political issue. This puts limits on what Japan can do for its wild sea otters, and this is also why a surrogacy or rescue program like the Monterey Bay Aquarium's doesn't exist there.
So with only two sea otters remaining in captivity, and a precarious wild population, there's a chance that sea otters might disappear again from Japan. This would be tragic, as sea otters have roots in Japan that stretch back deeper than in North America. They emerged as a distinct species in what is now eastern Russia and northern Japan before navigating the coast of the Bering land bridge into North America. The Hokkaido and Russian sea otters form the subspecies Enhydra lutris lutris, which is oddly understudied compared to the Alaskan/northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) or the Californian/southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis). Since the Hokkaido/Russian subspecies is the oldest and most primordial, studying it more could tell us a lot about sea otter evolution. To my knowledge, the Enhydra lutris lutris subspecies has never been held in captivity either, but I think only stranded pups and individuals in need of rescue should be considered.
I know I've gone on some digressions here, but most of this information is necessary to understand why the death of this sea otter has impacted me so much. Riro was a unique and beloved animal, but I am also worried that both his species and the community which did so much to spread his charms beyond Marine World, a rather small aquarium in a remote location, might cease to exist in Japan within our lifetimes. Riro, along with May and Kira, has done so much to raise awareness of sea otters in Japan, and if there's one silver lining it's that this might inspire more people to take measures to protect this wonderful and important species. Thank you, Riro! May you never be forgotten!
