We are heartbroken to share that Gunner, our beloved North American river otter, passed away the morning of May 6 after a sudden illness and rapid decline in health. CuriOdyssey’s dedicated wildlife and veterinary teams ensured that he was provided with the best care and comfort in his final days.

Gunner came to CuriOdyssey in 2009, after having been found abandoned, and cared for by a family and their dog. He stayed with them for a few months, before being taken to a wildlife rehab center, where he was deemed too habituated to human care to be released into the wild. 

River Otters live ten to fifteen years in the wild, but can live longer in human care. Gunner spent his seventeen long, happy years at CuriOdyssey creating a sense of joy and wonder for all our visitors young and old. He often liked to “high-five” our youngest visitors through the glass, sucked his tail to lull himself to sleep, and enjoyed showing off his playful swimming skills in his pond. He gave our volunteers the opportunity to teach children and families about aquatic mammals and why they are an important part of our freshwater ecosystems. And he was a gentle reminder to CuriOdyssey staff that food should be thoroughly enjoyed and that playing in the water is always a good idea. 

Because Gunner was not properly weaned and raised by humans, he retained some behaviors that most parent raised otters don’t do. When Gunner first arrived, he would make a high pitched chirping sound that baby otters make to call to their moms. Bird watchers walking near CuriOdyssey’s perimeter fence line would often pause and look up into the trees with binoculars trying to figure out what they believed was some kind of bird. For over a month we had different crowds of bird watchers handing out near our animal keepers entrance looking for a bird that was actually a young otter.

Gunner was so pampered that he would turn his nose up at capelin and mackerel! He loved his smelt, trout, and herring – and even salmon and tuna on special occasions.

He will be deeply missed by us all. If you would like to come share a note, photo, or memory of Gunner, we would welcome that as we all come together to share our love of this sweet rescue otter. Please leave any notes or drawings with the front desk and we will post them near his exhibit.

If you would like to honor Gunner further, you can help support wild river otters right here in the Bay Area through the River Otter Ecology Project, one of CuriOdyssey’s long-term conservation partners. They rely on community volunteers called “otter spotters” to help monitor and protect local wild otter populations. It’s a wonderful way to carry forward the curiosity for otters that Gunner inspired in so many of us. To learn more, visit riverotterecology.org.

May 27th is World Otter Day. CuriOdyssey plans to honor Gunner’s memory on that day, and we’d love you to join us. More details to come.