ATLANTA (AP) - The Georgia Aquarium is mourning the death of an 18-year-old sea otter that had been part of the aquarium when it opened in 2005.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Oz was humanely euthanized Thursday afternoon. After suffering several seizures Tuesday, Oz was given an MRI that revealed lesions on the brain. The aquarium posted on Twitter that Oz didn’t recover or regain mobility.
Oz came to the Georgia Aquarium from the Oregon Zoo and leaves behind three other otters, Brighton, Bixby, and Cruz.
The aquarium’s website says male sea otters in human care generally live 10-15 years. So at 18, Oz was considered a geriatric animal.
The website says sea otters are listed as “endangered” from such threats as entanglement in fishing nets, oil spills and shark attacks.
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Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com
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