May the sea otter receives an ice cream cake with lobsters on May 20 at the Toba Aquarium in Toba, Mie Prefecture.
12:11 JST, June 15, 2024
TOBA, Mie – May, a popular female sea otter at the Toba Aquarium, has become an ambassador for her hometown in Toba, Mie Prefecture.
In consultation with the aquarium, the municipality plans to use May to promote the city, for example by having her participate in various online events and use her image for official business cards and merchandise, and to encourage donations to the city through the furusato nozei. tax program.
May holds a flag that says: ‘Hi, I’m May. Nice to meet you.”
The 20-year-old sea otter received an ice cream cake from her caregiver on May 20 instead of a letter of appointment for the position of ambassador. She devoured the lobsters on the cake quickly after placing them on her stomach.
The aquarium has another female sea otter, 16-year-old Kira. There are currently only three sea otters kept in aquariums in Japan. According to the Japan Association of Zoos and Aquariums, 122 otters were kept in the country’s aquariums in the peak year of 1994, but the number has gradually declined, partly due to problems in breeding offspring.
The average lifespan of a sea otter is about 20 years. With a US ban on sea otter exports in principle, sea otters may no longer be seen in Japanese aquariums in a few years.
The city, which considers the two female sea otters a rare sight especially for Toba, hopes to use May to raise awareness about the aquarium.
