Remembering Rosa the sea otter
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 มิ.ย. 2024
- Hello Aquarium family. It’s with great sadness that we share that our beloved sea otter Rosa passed away today. At 24 years old, Rosa was the oldest resident otter at the Aquarium and one of our most experienced surrogate moms, having raised 15 stranded sea otter pups in her time with us.
While Rosa spent the last few months behind the scenes getting extra special care from our staff, she was the matriarch of the Sea Otters exhibit. Beloved and cherished by millions of visitors and fans of the live Sea Otter Cam, she was instantly recognizable thanks to her blonde head (eclipsed only by Ivy as our most grizzled of kelp grizzlies) and her signature head-all-the-way-back swimming style.
“Rosa was one of our most playful sea otters, and even at 24 years old, she would still be seen frolicking and wrestling with the younger otters when she instigated it,” said Melanie Oerter, curator of mammals. “Rosa was usually found sleeping against the window while on exhibit with her chin tucked tight into her chest and her tail swishing back and forth.”
After being found stranded as a four-week-old pup in September 1999, Rosa became part of the Aquarium family before our sea otter surrogacy program even took shape. Our Sea Otter Program staff raised her by hand for nearly seven months before releasing her to the wild.
Rosa eventually returned to the Aquarium once again in March 2002 when she didn’t take to life outside of human care, and she immediately became a fixture in the formative years of our sea otter surrogacy program as a caring adoptive mother for rescued pups destined for wild release.
She was a delight to work with, though she certainly had her expectations of our staff according to the many Sea Otter Mammalogists who trained (were trained by?) Rosa over the years.
"Rosa was an incredibly smart otter! Generally calm and patient with the staff. However, she could be defiant at times and there would be no convincing her to do something she did not want to do," said Oerter. "She would often just look at us or swim away. I believe she was the one who was really training us all of these years. I certainly learned a lot from working with such an incredible otter. It has been a privilege and to say we will miss her is understated."
Rosa relaxed into retirement from surrogacy in 2019, acting as a companion and cornerstone in the ever-changing raft of otters in our care.
Wild female sea otters live between 15 and 20 years, and reaching the age of 24 is a testament to the exceptional care Rosa received throughout her life from our Veterinary and Animal Care teams. In recent years, she began showing signs of age-related health concerns. In the last few weeks, her health had been deteriorating. After an exam, the veterinary and animal care teams made the difficult choice to humanely euthanize Rosa because those health conditions were compromising her quality of life. She passed away peacefully, surrounded by her caretakers.
Rosa’s legacy lives on both at the Aquarium with our other resident sea otters Kit, Selka, Ivy, and Ruby, and in the wild, where sea otter pups she raised continue to raise pups of their own, contributing to the recovery of their species and their ecosystems along the California coast.
Rosa was an inspiration to millions as a charismatic ambassador for her threatened species while playing a leading role in the story of sea otter recovery from near-extinction during the fur trade. Rosa will be greatly missed by all of us who got to know her over the years.
To celebrate Rosa’s long life, please feel free to share photos and stories of your encounters with Rosa at the Aquarium in the comment section on this post, in her memory and for the staff and volunteers grieving her loss. Thank you all for being such a big part of Rosa’s life. 🦦♥️
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Rest in peace Rosa our queen ❤❤ You were an absolute delight and inspiration and raised so many otter pups that you're probably the most important sea otter of all time. Celebrating your birthday every year was an absolute joy and we're going to miss you tremendously. I hope you're eating endless shrimp for all of us in heaven
thank you doug for showing us such a wonderful sea otter, and the wonderful efforts of Monterey Bay Aquarium ❤❤❤
We are 100% with Rosa, every single person in the community is behind her. We want to become the #1 donator to Monteray Bay in rememberance of Rosa. 10 million dollars under her name, it is what she would have wanted.
🦦❤
Gone, But not forgotten.
If it weren't for Doug I likely never would've known Rosa, Rosa was the best otter to ever exist, and its sad they passed. o7 Rosa
It’s insane how one streamer brought so many eyes to this special otter. Might be the most famous Otter to exist in history.
Googling "most famous otter" shows Rosa as top result
@RubyPiec it's as it should be
she even has her own wikipedia.
RIP you lovely queen
She has (through Doug) raised so much money for a good cause. She is deserving of all her renown and more
Yessss
now is not the time for mourning, now is the time for celebration. celebration of the single most influential and inspiring sea otter to bless our hearts. though we may have lost an angel, heaven has gained a saint. rest easy queen rosa.
Well said. Truly.
Rosa will be getting a special throne room in heaven
“Don’t be sad because it’s over, smile because it happened.” Dr Seuss
I’m not sure if those are the exact words, but it’s something along those lines.
Rest in peace Rosa. You will be remembered.
Rosa not only raised many pups, but brought a community off thousands and thousands of people together every year to support her the work at Monterey Bay. An absolute champion. We miss you x
I'm... Devastasted. I never thought that I would get so sad about a sea otter's passing, but that just shows how important Rosa was to me, and many of us. 07 for Rosa, the bravest hero we ever got
💜
o7
o7
o7
O7
My 12 year old son introduced us all to Rosa because of Doug Doug. He does daily household chores to get money to donate each year to Doug Doug’s stream. This year he was working towards $1000. He loved Rosa so much that our family was traveling to Monterey from Maryland in two weeks for our summer vacation to see her. Such a sad day for everyone who loved Rosa.
Aw I’m sorry to hear he was so close to meeting her! Be sure to get him a plushie in remembrance of her. You raised an awesome kid! c:
@@compassrose1466 thank you 💕
Your kid is raised right. Honestly I'm crying over a fucking sea otter, please tell your child that just because Rosa is gone doesn't mean the cause is over. He can continue raising money in her name, as a tribute
@@Down_bad_cockroach Thank you for the kind words. He intends to do just that!!
What a great lad! I hope you'll still have a great summer vacation! I'm sure Rosa would love to see your son enjoy watching otters at her old home or any other aquarium.
The fact that you can write so much about Rosa for the description without even mentioning DougDoug is a testament to how much of an impact she had.
there are hundreds of otters out there in the wild that wouldn't be there without you rosa. thank you so much for everything, your legacy will live on with all of us
I never thought a streamer would make me care for an otter so much. Thank you Rosa for your contributions to this world. Thank you Doug for bringing us to the golden child. And thank you Monterey Bay Aquarium for taking care of this wonderful creature for so many years.
E
@@EEEEEEEEdude. Read the room
Someone check in on Doug
@@EEEEEEEEread the room, we are grieving
no, she aint the golden child.
shes a diamond child. a sea gemstone, a pearl, something of a higher tier of minerals
I just now found out about this, I had been planning on visiting the aquarium again to see Rosa. I’m glad I was able to see her once in my life, and countless of times on Doug’s streams. The fanart I made of her is still one of my favorites too.
Thank you Monterey Bay Aquarium for taking care of such an amazing animal, her legacy will live on forever with her pups she helped raised.
Rosa was the main reason why i started to love otters. She made me even get a plushie of one
o7 Rosa, you were an awesome otter 🦦❤️
I can’t believe it took 2 weeks for me to see this. Rest easy Rosa, you were perhaps the most influential and incredible otter to ever live.
Same I'm so heartbroken rn RIP
Same am so sad :(
Will never recover from this humongous loss. RIP rosa
: (
Same
Rosa, you never ceased to make us smile. You were a wonderful otter, who the internet rallied behind because of your motherly instinct and good nature. We will never truly forget what you did for us and the otter populations of the world. We love you forever Rosa, and we hope you will rest easy. “You, ma’am, are an otter.”
❤
❤
❤️
Well spoken man
This comment made me cry until the last sentence where it became bittersweet in a way
I’m glad I found Rosa through doug doug
I remember watching dougdougs first rosa celebration and I can't believe she's gone. I never thought I would say this but I am crying over her. Thanks for all the memories Rosa, to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for caring for her and giving her the love she deserves during her final years, and to the DougDoug community, US, for always supporting her. You'll be missed Rosa. Saludos from Colombia. RIP
R.I.P. Rosa, the most important sea otter ever, and my favorite too, ty Monterey Bay Aquarium for taking care of Rosa, and ty to DougDoug for introducing me to Rosa, and for raising so much money to a great cause.
I cannot imagine the grief of the Monterey Aquarium team. Thank you for giving Rosa an incredible, loved, impactful life for all those years. Rosa was and always will be my favorite otter. RIP Rosa, thank you for your beautiful legacy.
RIP
This just came across my for you page, and I didn't realize it was THE Rosa. I thought it was a joke. Holy cow. I'm crying over an otter. RIP Rosa. I have you find a nice shell in the streams of the sky
same here
Same...
same
I worked at the Monterey Bay Aquarium gift shop for a brief time, about 10 years ago. And, I remember one morning I was working the opening shift, and I had gotten to the aquarium a little early. So, I took the opportunity to walk around some of the exhibits while there were no other visitors. And, I spent some time with Rosa, while she was grooming herself up near the glass. As it came up on my shift start time, I started to walk away. But, then, on a whim, I looked over my shoulder. And, there was Rosa, looking right at me, with her nose and paws pressed up against the glass! It was like she was saying, "Where ya going?! I didn't say you could leave!" It was one of the most heart-warming experiences I have ever had.
We love you, Rosa. And, we miss you. Rest in peace, beloved fur baby.
❤🥹
She was otterly perfect, right to the end🥲
Very sweet and heartwarming
Rosa although I never met you in person, you have left such a mark on your entire species. We will remember you, and you couldn’t have done more. RIP TO A REAL ONE
A hero for the otter community. Rosa, you will be missed dearly. Your adorable antics filled our hearts with joy ❤
my world's frozen for a bit now. i'm cuddling my sea otter plushie tight. Rosa, i only saw you in person once. I wasn't able to send you food money for your birthdays. but i loved you like everyone else has. The world's not as cute without you around. thanks for helping the sea otter community over these past two and a half decades. we'll keep up the fight in your honor.
Same here😢
same😭
⁹@@Emmitt-bv1ou
This just ruined my day :(, we love you Rosa! The DougDoug community will never stop supporting what you stood for, your legacy will go on!
Diablo the Cheater will ensure sure is remembered.
Even r/wehatedougdoug loves Rosa o7
Don't Be Sad She's gone, Be Happy She was There!
@@MrMagbrantEveryone loves Rosa. She was the best other there was, and now she’s swimming through the clouds.
“You were good son, real good, maybe even the best”
o7
Never thought I’d get so attached to a sea otter, but man, this ruined my morning, I’m absolutely devastated, R.I.P. Rosa, the DougDoug community will always remember you, all the fan art, all the money raised for your birthdays, and all the otter pups you raised will not be forgotten.
07 ROSAAAAAAAAAA
so glad to have been able to meet you once in my life, you were the greatest sea otter granny alive
😭😭😭
The entire world owes Rosa and the dedicated folks at Monterey Bay Aquarium a deep debt. God speed Rosa.
The Doug Doug community will never forget you Rosa and you will be remembered for years❤
One of the most beautiful and kind otters to have ever existed. May you eat all the shrimp heaven has to offer, Rosa.
Dear Monterey bay aquarium Thank you for showing us this wonderful otter, I know she will be waiting for us in what ever after life there is, the fact you never had to show us Rosa is insane, But this otter named Rosa is no doubt what otters dream of being, so she is the most inspiring otter ever known to man kind, so much I look up to her, but we have lost a legendary creature. Rest in peace Roasa, Soar long Rosa our queen
She was the best otter ambassador!!! And she will be missed.
The DougDoug community and the world has lost an absolute queen today.
We will miss you, Rosa.❤️🕊
Rosa will be eating endless shrimp for us in heaven.
o7😢
O7
Thank you, Rosa, for all your years that you given to all of us.
Everytime i see her i cant help but cry rest in peace you beautiful queen ❤❤❤
I knew she didn't have much time left but I didn't expect it so soon . . . I'll miss her
Oh, Rosa. I watched you on CCTV on Monday, napping in your kelp. And saw 845 and her new, healthy pup by the Coast Guard jetty - that’s your true legacy. God bless and keep you. You are such an inspiration to the SORAC team.
Wonderful post. Made me cry.
❤❤❤
What a great and impactful life she lived. May she rest well knowing she helped grow her species from near extinction and helped raise immense sums of money for conservation efforts that positively impact the ocean's health. RIP you beautiful legend.
RIP Queen Rosa. Thank you for the years of joy and for teaching so many of us about otters and other seal life.
While hearing that the world lost this incredible queen devastated me, it's not a time to grief, but to celebrate. Celebrate Rosa, celebrate how much she did for her own species and in the long term even the whole pacific ecosystem without even knowing, how many pubs she raised and how these pubs both become surrogate moms themselves or raise thier own pubs in the wild and of course how much awareness she raised towards Seaotters. Thank you Rosa!
Our beautiful queen will be deeply missed! ❤
ONE LAST STREAM! ONE LAST STREAM!
@@axeinroseI also hope for a funeral stream. One last hurrah, and potentially one that can raise money to help the otters even after the greatest among them is gone.
@@axeinroseI don’t think it would be the last. While Rosa may be gone, that doesn’t mean Doug and the community would stop supporting MBA. Rather, Doug might want to continue the tradition to honour Rosa’s legacy and her work. It’s the best we could do to continue keeping her in our memory ❤
No 😢!!! It feels like we were just celebrating her birthday....
"We love you Rosa!" We all chant in unison.
I knew this day was going to come. She was so old. But she lived an amazing life. I just hope Doug keeps up the cause in her memory.
Rosa was the best Sea Otter ever and she has never ceased to make me smile thank you for everything Rosa.
I visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium a lot in college, but never knew any of the otters by name until watching a Doug Doug fundraising stream to celebrate Rosa's birthday several years ago. My heart goes out to the whole team, thank you for your care and love in ensuring she had the best and longest life possible.
Rest in piece Rosa, you will never be forgotten 🫡😭💙
Rest in peace Rosa. Thank you for everything you did.
May she always be happy in kelp heaven.
She will get all the shrimp in the universe
My heart goes out to Rosa’s team - I’m so sorry for your loss. It was always a treat to see Rosa when visiting MBC. But for those of you having day to day interactions with Rosa her absence must be very hard.
A big hug for all you behind-the-scene folks! ❤🦦❤
One of the best moms in the whole world right there (Behind our own ofc) Much love to you Rosa and to all the people that took care of her at Monterey Bay ❤
Rosa, my Queen, your legacy will be eternal. You are missed by so many people and will remain in our hearts. Thank you for all that you've done for MBA, the otter population, and many many more
Thank you Rosa for inspiring so many. Thank you for helping your population return from the brink of extinction.
Doug is going to be heartbroken, as are we all. Swim high, Rosa. Eat lots of shrimp in heaven for us.
Rosa represented strength, resiliance, compassion and love. She worked so hard for her species, and her legacy will live on. RIP to a legend. I strive to make a difference in this world just like Rosa. Thank you MBA for your conservation efforts and for raising Rosa into the Queen she was. I hope we can continue celebrating the other incredible foster mamas living with you guys. And I hope Rosa is eating endless seafood and getting lots of love.
It is incredible how Rosa lived this long. She has defied life expectations of the average sea otter and has raised many cubs, all of which is incredible and shall be celebrated. She has had a happy life and can now live on in the heavens eating her favorite food. God bless your soul, Rosa.
My heart is shattered due to this news, despite how each year the outcome seemed closer and closer. I wanted to believe Rosa would last eons, for eternity.
But, I will remember her fondly, always.
Godspeed Rosa, you magnificent otter
o7 God speed
07 godspeed
I'm so sorry to hear of Rosa's passing. Always loved watching her. Safe swimming under that Rainbow Bridge, Rosa!
ROSA❤❤❤❤ WE WILL ALL MISS YOOUUU.!!!!!
thank you for being a source of cuteness
R.I.P. your majesty queen Rosa. o7
To think of the wonderful life you had lived, even being older than me, not that it mattered. May she find ever-lasting happiness. o7
Rosa was a gift to this world. I almost always have this stream playing on a third monitor at work--Rosa and friends have kept me company at my desk for countless hours.
Some of my favorite memories of Rosa were after closing time, when a trainer would come onto the exhibit one last time with food and spend a few quiet moments with our special girl. This feeding was a totally different pace, much more intimate than the scheduled training/feeding sessions. The trainer would often kneel down at the edge of the deck and Rosa would peacefully roll around in the water while the trainer would lower a juicy clam tongue down to her. Rosa would grasp her snack, chomping away with her head back, tail swaying back and forth. Rosa would often do a little lap around the exhibit while the trainer skimmed out food scraps from the water. She'd then come back for more--I could easily tell that Rosa was the one in control of these sessions--and then munch a little more before the trainer would say goodnight and then head out. Afterward, I'd get to watch her groom or spin around, enjoying the retiree life. She always projected such contentedness. I'll miss her terribly.
🌹🦦💙
I am so unimaginably sad about the passing of an animal that I've never even met nor seen in person. I'm not ashamed to admit that as a grown man, I shed some tears. That's just how prolific the influence of this otter -was- *is* and continues to be. I'll miss you, Rosa, and thank you for all of the good times and happy memories.
How have I not heard of this sooner?!?
I will miss the Queen of Otters, but she can rest easy knowing how much good she has done.
Rest in peace Rosa you will always be remembered ❤
Every time we went to the aquarium and we had to check out Rosa. RIP😢
Like many, I was introduced to Rosa by a certain unnamed, small time TH-camr. As an East-Coaster, Rosa wasn't an otter I was ever likely to interact with. But watch videos celebrating her, her adorableness, and her awesome legacy of so many surrogate pups and living to the incredible age of 24. It inspired me to connect a bit more with aquatic life, and I tell you my next trip to an aquarium was like nothing else. A silly little livestream affected so many people, and me just one of those many. Wishing you everyone who worked with Rosa over the years peace in her passing, and joy in the memories of her legacy. Thank you, Rosa.
Rest in peace rosa, you beautiful beautiful sea otter. No you were more than that. You are our inspiration and your name will go on forever.
Thankyou to DOugDoug for showing use this beautiful queen. She will be missed and hope not forgotten. Thnakyou to Monterey Bay Aquarium and DougDoug for everything you have done for her.
Rosa, thank you for your example of unconditional love...Blessings!
Don’t be sad because it’s gone, be happy because it happened. Rosa will forever live on in our hearts. ❤
Real men cried to this heartbreaking news. R.I.P Rosa, I wish we could have you forever.
Rest in Peace Rosa. Our Queen will never be forgotten
Rosa's legacy will live on and she will be so missed. Thank you to her amazing team of caretakers for providing her with such a worthwhile life and letting her become an inspiration. ❤
Don't forget about DougDoug and his birthday bashes he threw for her, they generated alot of money Monteray
best otter mom ever 🌹
We will miss you Rosa.
Thank you DougDoug for making millions care for our wonderful sea otter.
Rest in peace, I always enjoyed the live cam and watching Rosa and the other otters, they have always been my favorite.😞
Thank you to the otterly terrific team at Monterey Bay Aquarium for your care and dedication to so many beautiful creatures like Rosa. Rosa was an amazing spokesotter for wildlife conservation, and she will be sorely missed.
She will surely be mossed. What an incredibly amazing otter. We love you always and forever Rosa. From someone who has been visiting your home for decades…❤️
Rest in peace, sweet baby child! You were wonderful and made so many people smile
Sweetie dreams Rosa I'm glad we could celebrate your beauty for a list the time we got
The way she held onto her babies even when they started to get too big and squishy for her... best mama ever. I hope you're having so much fun in otter heaven. We miss you 🥹❤️
What a great otter mom!
Rest in peace. The single most influential and inspiring Sea Otter to ever grace this earth. You will not be forgotten Rosa. o7
It took me a month to see this. I remember watching Doug Doug to find out about Rosa. May she rest in peace
Rest in peace Rosa, even people on the other side of the planet loved watching your cute, blonde head on the cam ❤
RIP Rosa!! You will be missed so much. Big thanks to Monterey Bay Aquarium for taking such a good care of her all these years. Amazing video!!!
I am so honored and proud to be a part of the Dougdoug community, to have contributed to the aquarium with donation funds, and to have known about this wonderful creature that we all know and love; Rosa. She couldn't have had a better life without the aquarium, and it was an otterly awesome life that she led, indeed. Rest in peace, Rosa.
Thank you Rosa, you will be missed and the impact you have made will be felt for ages to come.
Thank you for all the work you've done Rosa, you have made such a huge difference in this world. From the pups you've raised to all the hearts you've touched, the world is a better place because of you. You are loved and will never be forgotten!
So sorry-we always enjoyed seeing Rosa on our visits. Thanks for taking such good care of her ❤️
Now we remember a beautiful sea otter named Rosa (Which means rose or pink). She is an inspiration to tens of thousands of people who adored her with all their hearts. Although she is now gone she lives with us in our memories and the impacts she has had on the world. We should not mourn her passing but instead celebrate her life. Fly high, Rosa.
She left behind a greater legacy than any otter could ever imagine. You will be missed Rosa
RIP Rosa. Thank you for bringing so much joy to the world, especially the Dougdoug fanbase.
💀💀💀😵
I'm so sorry to hear of Rosa's passing. :( What a sweet soul. We are all so lucky to have shared some of our lives with her!
Rest in peace Rosa thank you being such an important link to the species of otters as a whole. You will be missed and thank you for your service
No! Not Rosa! 😢 RIP Queen Rosa! Hope you can eat to your hearts content in the afterlife!
She will be missed.
You have impacted the lives of many, thank you rosa
Rest in peace Rosa. you took care of so many pups like they were your own, you will always be in our hearts. Thank you. ❤
I had first discovered Rosa from the DougDoug channel and instantly fell in love with her. She had single handedly made me fall in love with all kinds of otters and left me heartbroken to see she had passed away. Have all the food you want in heaven, Rosa!❤❤
We love you Rosa! What a sad day. She raised so many pups and has had such a positive impact on the world and she now gets a well earned rest. Thanks for streaming the events constantly. I have them on while I work. Take care of yourselves too, it must be hard fo you too. 0:08 a new hand will touch the beacon!
A truly pawsome otter :(
God bless her soul. She was a great otter, a great mother, and a genuine symbol of hope and joy for myself and so many others. Rest in peace, you magnificent marine mammal.
I'll miss you rosa
I’ve never realized how much I loved this adorable sea otter, who I’d never met in person (or in otter?), but I am absolutely devastated, we truly didn’t deserve this beautiful little soul. Rest in peace, Rosa the sea otter