SARASOTA, Fla. — Pippi, a North American river otter and guest favorite at the Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, has passed away.
The aquarium said its animal care and veterinary teams began to monitor Pippi when she started demonstrating behavior consistent with a medical abnormality last week. Despite their efforts, Pippi did not survive.
According to the team at Mote, Pippi's condition may have been related to urogenital disease, which is common in female river otters. They said more details will be available after her necropsy, an animal autopsy.
Pippi was rescued in 2015 as a pup and rehomed at Mote a year later. She weighed 7 pounds when she arrived and was described as shy and calm.
"Over the years, she blossomed and became both a guest favorite and an exemplary ambassador of her species," Mote's social media post reads. "Always playful, sometimes mischievous, Pippi will be forever remembered as a loving member of the Mote family."
Pasco County woman trying to rebuild mobile home after hurricanes
"I cried, of course, because I've worked very hard getting it nice, which has been difficult for me since I lost my husband and being alone,” Kelly Welty said.
Welty's mobile home lost its roof during Hurricane Milton. She said it was the only one in the Buena Vista community to get totaled by a tornado.
