Rosa (c. August 26, 1999 – June 5, 2024) was a sea otter at Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California, United States. She was taken in by the aquarium after being found stranded on a beach at four weeks old. She was released into the wild in April 2000 before being returned to the aquarium in 2002 after she continued to interact with humans, posing a risk to herself and others. She was a surrogate mother for 15 orphaned otter pups at the aquarium and was the aquarium's oldest resident otter. She was also the subject of many charity livestreams in celebration of her birthday, hosted by content creator Douglas Wreden, known online as DougDoug. As she grew older, Rosa's eyesight started to fail and she contracted a heart condition. She was euthanized on June 5, 2024, because of these health conditions.
Early life Rosa was born in late August 1999, with August 26 generally observed as her birth date. On September 26, 1999, she was found stranded between Sunset State Beach and Manresa State Beach in Santa Cruz County, California. She was rescued and brought to Monterey Bay Aquarium. At the time, she was approximately four weeks old and weighed five pounds. She was cared for before being released back into the wild in April 2000. While she was in the wild, researchers at Monterey Bay Aquarium and scientists at the University of California studied her behavior, calories, and body temperature. She was returned to the aquarium two years later because she continued to interact with humans by climbing on swimmers and kayakers, which the United States Fish and Wildlife Service considered to be a risk to herself and humans. Some of the otters at Monterey Bay Aquarium, including Rosa, are named after John Steinbeck characters. Rosa was named after a character from the short novel Tortilla Flat. The aquarium originally named her Faye, but another otter was named Mae and it was deemed too similar.
Appearance, habits, and care
Rosa was introduced to the sea otter exhibit on June 6, 2002. She was characterized by her large figure with soft silver-colored fur and white freckles on her head. She could be seen on the aquarium's live sea otter camera, and after feeding she normally rested on the water surface at the exhibit's central window. She would usually have her chin tucked in her chest as well as her tail wagging in the water. She also swam with her head back. Around the time she joined the aquarium, a sea otter recovery program was initiated. She was one of the first sea otters to be in the program, raising 15 orphaned sea otter pups before retiring in 2019. This was the most sea otters fostered by any surrogate mother at the aquarium, according to Monterey Bay Aquarium. She did not, however, have any biological pups of her own. Her last otters were released into the wild in October 2019. One of the otters she raised, Selka, stayed at the aquarium, where she also participated in the recovery program. Late in her life, she was fatigued by a heart condition and limited eyesight. She was groomed regularly by a health monitoring team who performed personal training sessions that accommodated Rosa's limits. Rosa received a physical checkup three times a year that included radiographs, blood tests, and dental care. The aquarium staff built a ramp in 2013 to deal with potential arthritis. Her diet was adjusted based on her weight which was regularly checked. Through husbandry training Rosa was taught behaviors such as getting on weight scales, allowing the use of eye drops on her, sticking up her paws for inspection, and opening her mouth for inspection. Melanie Oerter, the curator of marine mammals at Monterey Bay Aquarium, described Rosa as "one of [their] 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". Oerter also described her as calm and patient, but also defiant, saying that "[s]he would often just look at us or swim away". Aquarium staff members described her parenting style as "gentle, unflustered, [and] chill".
Birthday
Streamer and YouTuber Douglas Wreden, known online as DougDoug, hosted annual charity livestreams celebrating Rosa's birthday. In 2019, he found Monterey Bay Aquarium's sea otter camera during a livestream. After he heard one of the announcers say that Rosa was the oldest otter at the aquarium, he contacted the aquarium asking when Rosa's birthday was. Once they messaged back saying her birthday was on August 26, he threw an on-the-spot birthday livestream, with the proceeds of the stream going to Monterey Bay Aquarium. Many of these streams featured video game challenges, with some featuring an art contest where his community creates fan art dedicated to Rosa. These streams contributed to Rosa's popularity. Wreden and his community raised $320.18 for Rosa's 20th birthday in 2019, $2,676.31 for her 21st birthday in 2020, $14,172.19 for her 22nd birthday in 2021, $104,327.89 for her 23rd birthday in 2022, $302,014.21 for her 24th birthday in 2023, $625,375.68 on what would have been her 25th birthday in 2024, and $565,875.38 for what would have been her 26th birthday in 2025. In late 2025, in a comment under one of his videos, Wreden said he would not host a charity stream in 2026, stating that "these last few years fundraisers have been a huge amount of work". He has stated, however, that he would like to do something for Rosa, but in a different format than the livestreams.
Death
Rosa died on June 5, 2024, having been euthanized due to age-related health conditions. She was the oldest sea otter at Monterey Bay Aquarium, living to be 24 years old. Rosa was given a profile in The New York Times Magazine's The Lives They Lived annual commemoration for major figures who died in 2024.
See also Opal (sea otter) – another sea otter at Monterey Bay Aquarium Sea otter conservation
References
Primary sources In the text, these references are preceded by a double dagger (‡):
External links Youtube playlist of DougDoug's Rosa birthday streams Rosa the Sea Otter | DougDoug
