In Santa Cruz, California, a very mischievous
otter known as otter 841 has earned a reputation for,
get a load of this, stealing and riding surfboards.
>> No, it is the cutest thing in the world.
They tell you like, you're supposed to be mad at this otter or something.
>> No, don't be mad at the otter.
>> Okay, but I'm sorry, I'm sorry, otter 841 is Bonnie and Clyde, okay?
Keep taking those surfboards and going for a ride.
We love you, don't listen to the man [LAUGH].
>> So let's talk a little more about this otter,
this otter's life story and what ended up happening with otter 841.
So we've got some fun video.
So here's what happened when 841 approached, there we go.
So there's an example of the otter taking over a surfboard,
I absolutely love this, having the time of its life.
And so here's what happened when otter 841 approached
a particular surfer by the name of Noah Wormhot who was surfing.
So he's surfing, he's having a great time.
And he says, I started paddling away trying to avoid 841, but it kept getting
closer and closer, I jumped off my board and then it jumped onto my board.
It seemed friendly, so we got comfortable with it.
It was a pretty cool experience.
Now, caught up in the excitement of the moment, and I certainly would be, he
said that he wasn't really, like, thinking about how it could bite my finger off.
The young surfer watched from the water while the otter stayed atop his board.
As the swell rolled in, the otter was shredding,
caught a couple of nice waves, he said.
>> I love this otter.
>> So cute.
>> Okay, you're doing it for all the other otters out there, okay, keep going,
brother, well, sister, actually.
>> Now it takes a negative twist.
>> I know, I know always.
>> So not every surfer has had a positive experience or
a pleasant experience with otter 841.
In fact, here's what happened to a surfer named June Lee when 841 came up to him,
I tried to paddle away, but I wasn't able to get far before it bit my leash off.
Lee abandoned his board and watched in horror as the otter climbed atop it and
proceeded to rip chunks out of it with her powerful jaws.
I tried to get it off by flipping the board over and pushing it away, but it was
so fixated on my surfboard, for whatever reason, it just kept attacking, he said.
So that's not fun, I wouldn't like that.
I would probably not even try to get close to the otter, we're still talking about
a wild animal here that can do damage to more than just your surfboard, right?
>> So first of all, look, the otters are super cute,
and this one is like Billy the Kid, this was a rebel, we love her, okay?
But yes, be careful, their jaws are incredibly powerful because
they're built to break clams with their teeth.
>> Right? >> Okay, so
it bites off parts of the surfboard pretty easily, and
it could bite off your hand super easily.
So that's why you should keep a safe distance.
Now, having said that, now it's taking three boards, and
it keeps shredding the waves, and so people are starting to get mad.
And I get it, you don't wanna lose your surfboard, and
I don't know how much they cost, that might be a little devastating, but
if you could afford it, just let her take it, okay?
I'm serious, I'm serious.
Like, if she gave her my surfboard, I would be honored, I'd be like honor 841.
>> I did not.
>> Thank you.
>> Well, look, it's easy for you to say because you're not a surfer,
I also do not know what the average cost of a surfboard is, to be fair, but
I will say this is kind of shocking to hear from you,
because usually you side with >> The humans?
>> Yeah, pretty much.
>> Yeah, but look, there's two things here, number one, the otter is too cute.
>> Too cute?
>> Okay, the coffee is too strong, the otter is too cute.
Okay, so number two, you know what it is?
She has that rebel spirit that I love.
>> Yeah. >> And she's like, no,
I decided that I'm not afraid of the humans, because otters are normally afraid
of humans and with good purpose, sorry, with good reason, okay?
>> Right, and also, to some extent, the humans are actually guilty in this story.
>> Yeah, we're gonna get to that in a second.
Yeah. >> But she's like, I just like it and
I wanna do it.
She's not obviously not eating it overall, right.
So she's like, no, I wanna shred some waves today.
Give me, give me that, no, I love her spirit, that's why I like her.
>> So, okay, there are a few things to understand about otters, okay?
So otters in the wild actually are pretty afraid of humans.
They stay away from humans, and they do have this innate fear of humans.
So 841 is a very unique otter, why does she feel my God, come on,
come on, you could have anything, you could have my entire home, okay?
You deserve it just by existing, you deserve it.
>> I'm telling you, how do you not give yourself work to them?
>> I wanna give them everything.
>> I'd give that one my car.
>> God, so cute.
Okay, but anyway, 841 happens to be so bold because of her backstory.
Okay, so 840, one's mother was orphaned, so she was taken in and
raised in captivity.
Once she returned to the wild, people started offering her food,
which is a really, really bad idea, that is how she became comfortable with humans.
Now, unfortunately, she became too comfortable and
started jumping onto kayaks to ask for food, right?
Because look, wild animal, I mean, it's like Pavlov, right?
You start feeding the otter, the otter expects food from other humans and
feels comfortable around other humans, right?
And the scientists who took her in quickly realized she was pregnant,
and so 841 was born in captivity, right?
Her mom was orphaned, was pregnant with 841, and 841 was born in captivity, right?
So lot going on here, and so let's go to, okay, so
841 was eventually released into the wild, as you guys can see
in the videos and the interactions 841 has had with humans.
Now, sadly,
California authorities have decided to act because of the fact that there have been
too many unpleasant experiences that people have had with otter 841.
So when I say that humans are partly to blame for this,
it's because they're feeding this otter out in the wild, and that trains the otter
to be comfortable with humans, to jump onto kayaks, to jump off onto surfboards.
And it's really sad because now it's not the humans who get punished,
it's the poor otter who gets punished, okay?
So here's what's gonna happen, authorities have decided,
nah, otter 841 needs to be in captivity again.
Due to the increasing public safety risk, a team from the California Department
of Fish and Wildlife and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, trained in the capture and
handling of sea otters, has been deployed to attempt to capture and rehome 841.
If the authorities succeed in capturing 841, she will return to
the Monterey Bay Aquarium before being transferred to a different one,
where she will live out her days.
I should note, though, otter 841 is a bit of a badass, and
they've had difficulty capturing her.
>> They can't find her.
>> Run, otter 841, run, okay, let her go.
So look, kidding aside, I know they have to do it because what if she
encounters a kid and the kid fights back and it bites the kid?
You can't have it, I get it, I get it.
Okay, having said that, since it's a famous otter,
it's still gonna go to an aquarium and live out, I hope, a pretty decent life.
I'm sure she'd rather be catching waves in the ocean, but still, she's gonna live.
But it turns out for most wild animals, including otters,
if this type of thing happens, they just have to terminate them, and that sucks.
>> No, I know I know it.
>> And so that's why, guys >> Euthanize,
I don't like the word terminate.
>> Yeah, I know, euthanize.
Okay, but guys, that's why, although this is fun story, and I really want her
to be free, don't feed them, because once you feed them, they get used to you.
And then if they do this once or twice, and
then they're gonna kill the poor otter, so don't do it.
And this one's famous, so it's gonna be okay either way, but
do the right thing for the other otters.
>> I see what you did there, I like that you look around the room to see if anyone
caught it and if anyone's laughing [LAUGH].
>> [LAUGH].
>> So ridiculous [LAUGH].
>> [LAUGH] Okay, well, of