Sea Otter Pup, Can't Do Anything But Float [#15]

A jungle greeting starts with drumming.
Poko poko poko.
Hello, I'm the 'Gorilla Who Understands'.

In the great outdoors, a wide variety of creatureslive, and
many stories that easily exceed our imaginationare born.

Predation, courtship,
territorial disputes, mutual non-interference, and so on...

Watching this is truly fascinating.

Ah, these guys are really alive.
They feel things properly, and they think, and
they are surviving in this harsh world...

I love watching them like that.

This is something you cannot see in completely managed places like zoos or aquariums.

That is exactly why it is worth heading out into the great outdoors.

This time, I would like to talk about one such story,
a sea otter pup!

Chapter 1: Let's Go See Sea Otters

Believe it or not, in Japan,
there is a place where you can see sea otters outside of an aquarium!!

Check out the previous article for details!

I have already visited this place several times, but

at one point,

next to the sea otter,
a small lump of fur was floating!!

Chapter 2: Sea Otter Pup, Born

It looks kind of fluffy...

It is extremely cute.

I wonder if it has only been a few weeks since it was born?

The mother next to it is grooming her body.

In this vast ocean, trying not to stray from mom's side,
swimming desperately...

swimming...

...

Not swimming!!!

The distance from mom
drifts closer and further away,
at the whim of the waves.

As for mom...

She's busy scrubbing her body!!

Chapter 3: The Pup, Can't Do Anything But Float

The ocean is full of dangers.

Despite that,
it seems the sea otter pup can't do anything
but float.

Some animals
can run from the moment they are born,
possessing the strength to survive the harsh wild,
or so they say.

This ball of fur, will it be okay...

Chapter 4: The Pup, Can't Take It Anymore

While I was thinking that,
mom,
finally dove into the sea,
and started looking for food!!

She stays underwater for about30 seconds,I suppose.

During that time,the pup just floats all alone.

Mom surfaces,
and starts scrubbing her body again.

The pup is left abandoned in the sea the whole time.

And finally...

...

The pup, loses its temper!!

Waaah, waaah.

And so, it started to cry!!

Besides floating,
it seems it can also cry (lol).

The mother slowly approached,
and held the pup in her arms.

And they lived happily ever after.

(The pup, isn't it a bit big for its mother...?)

Finally

Actually, here in Kiritappu,
a shocking event occurred where orcas ate sea otter pups.

This happened about a month before I took these photos.
1 month ago.

The sea otters here
have already experienced losing their babies.

However, mothers must also eat
to survive.

This must be their survival strategy.

I truly hope that this calm and peaceful scenery
will last forever...

Well then everyone, please come back to visit with a cheerful face.

Pop, pop, pop...