Chicken Soup for the Ocean Lover's Soul Read Free Page B

biologists discovered the pup had been dead for a day or so, the cause of death unknown. Not giving up, the mother swam around the boat, crying for the baby. The biologists tried to draw her nearer by placing the pup in the water, but the frightened otter only swam backward toward a bed of kelp, all the while calling for her baby. The team tried again. Again the otter evaded them until all the team could do was note the distinguishing nose scar and mottled color of the otter to identify her later.
    That afternoon, a member of the team, researcher Michelle Staedler, returned to the aquarium nursery to find sea otter program supervisor Julie Hymer preparing for an evening shift with Elwood. Michelle had an idea. “Hey, Julie,” she said. “Do you want a mom for your pup?”
    Julie looked skeptical.
    “You’ve got one?” Julie said. “Just like that?”
    “Maybe,” Michelle said. “We found an otter in the bay with a dead pup. We got the pup, but the mother got away. She’s swimming around the kelp screaming for her baby. And you’ve got a pup screaming for his mom. Why don’t we try to bring them together?”
    It was almost evening. The team would have to work fast. Elwood was shuffled into a kennel, screaming at the top of his lungs, and moved onto the inflatable boat the team used. The team arrived at Lover’s Point, where the otter mom was last spotted. As the boat approached the point, Elwood’s cries caught the attention of the mother.
    Elwood was placed in the water. He began to swim toward the otter. This was the moment of truth. The otter immediately placed Elwood on her belly and began to groom him as she moved through the kelp beds. Elwood even tried to nurse. Then the female dove. Because Elwood was still buoyant in his pup coat, he was unable to follow her under the water. All he could do was swim at the surface in the direction he thought the mother was heading. Julie, Michelle and the team wondered what to do. Did the mother abandon him when she realized he wasn’t hers? Could she even tell that it was the wrong pup? The adoption didn’t seem to be working. The team waited. If the female had lost interest, little Elwood would not survive the night alone in the bay. Disappointed, the team moved in to rescue him.
    Suddenly, the mother reappeared at the surface, snatched Elwood under her paw and swam quickly away. In seconds, the pair was safely nestled amid the kelp beds in Lover’s Point. The team had done all it could do. Now it was up to Elwood’s adopted mother. Cautiously, the team moved away.
    The next morning both Elwood and his new mom were spotted in the area off Lover’s Point. Elwood rode happily on her belly as she skulled backwards through the kelp beds. The team couldn’t believe it. Sea otter mom without pup, pup without mom—the match had been made. A new family had taken residence in Monterey Bay!
    Roxayne Spruance and Michelle Staedler

Hooked on Mahogany
    W e share the Earth not only with our fellow human beings, but with all the other creatures.
    Dalai Lama
    Now that I’m old, I come to the dock with my poles and tackle, and I fish each day. There are always four or five pelicans that sit nearby on the pier and wait with great patience until I toss a fish their way. They have curious eyes with yellow irises and black pupils. Their bodies are a silvery brown, and their huge shovel mouths all seem identical. Almost all of the pelicans have large, arched necks that are white, but one is different. He seems older, wiser, something like myself. He is the lone one with a deep brown neck. I’ve even named him; I call him Mahogany.
    There are days when the tide is out and the water is very low, but I still come around to watch him swoop in and gently land on the planks. Some mornings I fish with squid for bait and quickly hook a fish that brings Mahogany to his feet. I hold it in my hand and try to coax him, get him close. But he’s a wild creature, and no amount of bribing can