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The young male otter pup that everyone's been gushing over was officially named 'Hardy' this week.
On June 25th, concerned members of the public found Hardy swimming alone in open water off of north Vancouver Island.
He was first taken to the District of Port Hardy for treatment and then brought to the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre where he's been receiving round-the-clock care for the past month.
Staff estimated that Hardy was about two to four weeks old when he arrived.
While he appeared healthy, he still needed 24/7 care to make up for the duties a mother would normally perform, including bathing, feeding and grooming.
He's now estimated to be between six and eight weeks old and on July 21st he weighed in at four kilograms.
"He's growing quickly and becoming more energetic. He is still nursing from the bottle, eating 25% of his body weight per day in a special otter pup formula made by our animal care team," said a spokesperson for the centre.
Along with the bottle forumula, Hardy also started eating solid foods this week, including five grams of clams per feed. Hardy eats every three hours and takes frequent swim breaks.
Since he first arrived, Hardy has started to get a little more relaxed and playful.
"He is very curious and enjoys exploring. He is getting good at diving and can now dive down in his swim tub and pick up objects off the bottom," stated a staff member.
The team is asking for donations to help care for Hardy as he remains under 24-hour care.
Due to the cost of veterinary care, medications and food, expenses are adding up, stated staff.
Donations can be made here.
The Vancouver Aquarium is made up of about 1500 volunteers and staff.
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