Long Beach facility partners with established Monterey Bay surrogacy center

Another sea otter pup has moved into the Aquarium of the Pacific, but with help from her new surrogate mother, it may eventually be released back into the wild.

It is the first time a sea otter pup has come to the Long Beach aquarium with the goal of returning to the wild. The effort is thanks to a partnership with the Aquarium of the Pacific — which has cared for sea otters deemed unfit to live in the wild since it's opening in 1998 — and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

“We're thrilled to be able to help this species recover by expanding our conservation programs,” Brett Long, the aquarium's senior director of birds and mammals, said during a Thursday

An educational kiosk allows Aquarium of the Pacific visitors to learn more about its Sea Otter Surrogacy Program. The Long Beach facility can take up to four pups. Monterey Bay has operated the program for decades.