Guys.
I fed sea otters today. From my hand. Inches away from them. I also got a “high five” from one.
IT WAS AWESOME.
The Long Beach Aquarium does “encounters” for a premium price, and we wanted to do something special with Liz’s dad since he was in town for Thanksgiving…well, it was pretty freaking special let me tell you.
I learned so much about sea otters; namely that they are VERY aggressive, at least in comparison to most other wild animals who will just run away. They’re relatives of animals like badgers and raccoons and the like, ie- they have the ornery streak in them.
SO…you have to be very careful and respectful, and just basically treat them as wild animals. They’re unpredictable. You have to be slow and calm…and they were so awesome, the two otters that we fed. We fed them through these little holes in a plexiglass barrier, and we were very careful to not put our fingers through the holes. Their teeth are LEGIT you guys. Very big. And apparently, their molars/jaws are strong enough to lop a finger right clean off. So, that was intimidating. But…it was easy. And they were very well-trained.
The mammalogist and the guide we had answered all our questions. They were so nice, and so dedicated to keeping these animals healthy and safe. It really was quite humbling and inspiring to see the behind the scenes of the aquarium and actually SEE how much work they do back there to keep the wild animals alive. Those animals play a very important role in modern day society: they are ambassadors for their wild kin. They bridge the gap between us and the wild world, and show us that it needs protecting, and respect.
Awesome day.
Then we came home and took care of the pups, took a nap, and got Liz’s dad a NEW PHONE. That was exciting. We braved the wilds of Black Friday and were actually in and out with an activated iPhone in less than 30 minutes. It was pretty amazing.
Anywho…time for sleeps. It’s 1am. Jesus. Need to sleep.
Good night!