Injured otter rescued from Washington state beach dies at Vancouver Aquarium

VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Aquarium says an injured sea otter that was rescued from a Washington state beach has died.

The otter arrived in Vancouver on Aug. 1, several weeks after it was found on the shores of a beach in the Quinault Indian Nation, near Seattle.

The otter’s flippers were damaged and infected, and the animal was critically malnourished.

The sea mammal spent three weeks recovering at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma, Wash., before it was transferred to Vancouver for long-term care.

The aquarium says in a news release that the animal received round-the-clock care after it arrived at the facility, but likely died of liver failure and cerebral edema.

Researchers plan to use tissue samples from the animal to study sea otters and develop disease screening.