This is a sea otter with a keen surfboard, number 841, and for this hobby, the sea otter can only snatch surfboards from tourists.
The colorful surfboard in the picture is its favorite among many surfboards, and after grabbing it, the sea otter immediately left its mark on it - tooth marks.
This sea otter is a 5-year-old female California sea otter, a locally protected species who is a frequent visitor to the coast of Santa Cruz, California, United States.
In 2021, it was observed that it does not seem to be very afraid of humans, and will always approach it intentionally or unintentionally.
In 2023, things are getting worse! It fell in love with surfboards and tried to snatch them from tourists.
A couple recalled the scene when they clashed with it head-on:
"The first thing it took a look at was my boyfriend's surfboard, and he grabbed the end of the board with his hand and tried to drag it away. Later, perhaps thinking that mine looked better, it swam up to the front of my surfboard and stared at me, trying to make me give up with his eyes. ”
"At the time, I thought it was too cute, and I didn't take it seriously, but I didn't expect it to be very persistent, I was afraid that it would bite me, and I was afraid that it would hurt it, so I finally gave up the surfboard."
"It took a bite on the surfboard, then sat on the board and rode away in a victorious position."
The couple's experience is not an isolated case, with the New York Times reporting that three surfboards were snatched away in just one weekend.
Many tourists were robbed and didn't care at all, but thought it was a fun and cute "animal interaction" event.
However, animal protection groups in the United States do not see it that way, believing that sea otters actively approaching surfers are themselves abnormal, and it is even rarer to steal surfboards from humans.
Especially when snatching, it is like "I am in charge of my territory", showing a fearless posture, indicating that it is not afraid of humans like other animals, and there is a risk of attacking humans.
So, it was decided to capture the sea otter and keep it in captivity.
Repeating the mistakes of the past: neither mother 723 nor daughter 841 are afraid of humans
When capturing the sea otter, the staff also told the story of the sea otter.
It turned out that the sea otter at the beginning was numbered 841, which was rewilded after captivity, and its mother 723 was in a similar situation.
Mother 723 is a sea otter rescued by conservation groups in the wild, and after being rescued and meeting the criteria for rewilding, it was released back into the wild.
Shortly after the return of 723, it was discovered that it would also approach humans on its own initiative, and it also showed aggression.
In desperation, the staff "invited" 723 back to the base, and after inspection, it was found that 723 was pregnant.
Staff speculated that SCP-723 may have approached humans for the sake of eating, showing aggression and being caused by hormones in the body of pregnancy.
After careful care, 723 gave birth to 841, and in order to prevent the sea otter from forming a human imprint as it grows, the staff are fully armed when feeding 841.
The black cloak and welding mask cover the body tightly, and the effect of wearing it is like "Darth Vader".
When the time came, the staff released 841.
During its first year back at sea, 841 behaved normally, not actively engaging with humans like its mother, but in the years that followed, it began to repeat its mother's mistakes.
It is especially fond of foam surfboards, the kind that beginners often use, and every piece, it wants to take a bite.
Could it be that 841's aggressiveness is genetic? Why did it take 2 years after the release to start having seizures?
The staff was puzzled, and in order to ensure the safety of the tourists, the American animal protection organization decided to re-enliven 841.
However, 841 was so smart that after weeks of hard work, he failed to catch it, and is still "at large".
The staff was helpless: "If any method does not work, then in the end you can only perform euthanasia." ”
Fortunately, things finally took a turn for the better, and after a period of delay in catching the 841 sea otter, some tourists observed that it had an extra cub by its side.
The American animal protection organization also confirmed that 841 has been upgraded to a mother, speculating that this may be the reason why it is aggressive and grabbing surfboards, and its behavior will be restrained after giving birth.
He then said that since 841 has a cub, he will not catch it again, and will continue to monitor its behavior, and if there is a risk, the capture will continue.
At last
In general, there are really many animals like 841 and 732 that are not afraid of humans because of their frequent contact with humans, resulting in all kinds of strange things.
The closeness of animals and humans sounds like a very harmonious and beautiful thing.
However, once the animal gets used to the presence of humans, both are in danger of being an animal or a human.
Take 841 as an example, it is the smallest sea otter, but it has a good tooth and can directly bite the shell.
If it were a little crazier and bite directly, humans would definitely be bitten.
The most important thing is that humans will not allow an animal that attacks people like this, and the only result is euthanasia.
Therefore, if you want an animal to live well, stay away from it, and by keeping a certain distance, you are protecting it.