It was Saturday, 22 February 2014 when Vancouver Aquarium’s Marine Mammal Rescue Centre first got the call. News of an injured otter, endearingly named ‘Whiffen’ by locals, lying injured on the beach at the entrance to Sooke Harbor. This is the story of Whiffen the Sea Otter’s road to recovery.
His injuries were severe, and, at that point, nobody could be sure of his survival. It wasn’t until early Sunday morning that crews were able to get out to the beach and begin the rescue operation.
Lindsaye Akhurst, Manager at Vancouver Aquarium’s Rescue Centre, said they found Whiffen, “non-responsive on the beach and exhibiting signs of hypoglycemia…[in need of] immediate medical intervention.”
Nobody can be absolutely sure of how Whiffen sustained his life threating injuries, however, it has been speculated that they may have been caused by a close call with a boat, or possibly, an encounter with a predator, such as a killer whale or an eagle.
Luckily, Whiffen has been receiving around-the-clock care from the team at the Rescue Centre. However, he remains in a critical condition, as medical tests and treatment continue.
While there’s no guarantees that he’ll survive, there is no doubt that his chances have been dramatically improved thanks to the care he’s been receiving. The team at SpringTide all have there fingers crossed for Whiffen’s speedy recovery and will pass on any updates from the Rescue Team about his progress.