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Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Otter pups' adventure
By RAYNE WOLFE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Two little river otters went on a weekend tear in Petaluma, stopping at Mario & John's Tavern and an auto parts store, but are now under the protective care of Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue.On Friday night, some good Samaritans apparently moved three baby otters near the Petaluma River to a quiet creek area."We had a call on our hot line saying three little otters were found and moved to a better place for them. Next thing we know, we have a call from five miles downstream that two otters are running around this neighborhood," said Doris Duncan, Wildlife Rescue's executive director.The furry pair, estimated to be about 2 months old and each about as big as a shoe box, thumped across several porches, diving under fences as humans approached.The first otter, now dubbed "Wilson," was caught on Saturday morning by Petaluma Animal Control Officers Jason Pietsch and Andi Christman after a homeowner on Wilson Street found the duo sleeping between a garbage can and a flower pot.American river otters are common along waterways in Sonoma County but are rarely in plain sight. They tend to avoid human contact, said Pietsch."That makes them very hard to catch. They are very wily animals," he said.Duncan speculates the mother of these young otters must have been injured or died.Because they would not have survived long without their mother, multiple search efforts ensued throughout the weekend for the second slippery otter.On Saturday night, a patron at Mario & John's Tavern on East "D" Street walked outside and found an otter trotting along a storm drain."He was afraid he'd sound crazy or we'd think he'd been drinking too much. But he said it hissed at him twice and then ran across the street into some bushes," said Donnie Figone, co-owner of the tavern.A call to Animal Control delivered help, including Duncan and volunteer Rachel Griffiths, a Santa Rosa firefighter, armed with nets and gloves, but the otter proved elusive."What was amazing to me is that the neighborhood really came together. Everyone was helping us. Nobody minded that a lady with a net was in their back yard," Griffiths said.On Monday morning, as Griffiths was driving to Petaluma to continue the search, she received a call that Greg Bushey of Rohnert Park had boxed up the errant otter."He was at Dan's Auto & Truck Parts on Lakeville, which means the otter had to have crossed Lakeville. At first, he thought it was an injured cat," Griffiths said.By midday Monday, otter No. 2 was in a cat carrier on the road with Griffiths. The famished otter munched on a trout courtesy of Pietsch. The otters were reunited at a Wildlife Rescue satellite station -- and not a moment too soon. Otters are social creatures and miss their mates when separated."Wilson was lively on Saturday, but by Sunday, very mopey, almost depressed. When I put the second otter in, they were chirping and embracing each other, wrestling like little otters do," Griffiths said.An effort to find a possible third baby otter is ongoing. Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue is on Mecham Road in Petaluma and can be reached at 526-WILD. Petaluma Animal Control can be reached at 778-4396.Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue rehabilitates more than 1,000 wild animals annually and offers educational school programs."We couldn't do this without the support of our 300 members," said Duncan, who estimates the gas cost alone on the case of the otters will top out at about $200.Duncan said the baby otters will be moved to the Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care center, which has an otter habitat, including ponds with slides. They eventually will be returned to Sonoma County to be released back into the wild.You can reach Staff Writer Rayne Wolfe at 521-5240 or rayne.wolfe@pressdemocrat.com.