Sexually Frustrated Male Sea Otter Suspected In Local River Otter Killings
A locally famous sea otter in Canada is gaining a reputation for violence after being spotted carrying around the bodies of dead river otters and using them for sexual purposes.
Ollie, as he’s known to humans, resides in the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve off the southern tip of Vancouver Island in British Columbia and is suspected of killing at around 20 river otters over the past 10 years.
“He’s the only sea otter in the immediate area, so the assumption is that he does this, kills the river otters, and then sort of has his way with them for multiple days, to release that sexual tension,” whale watching captain and wildlife educator Mollie Cameron told CHEK News.
Like some human serial killers, Ollie is charming and charismatic. He has his own Facebook fan page, chock-full of adorable photos.
Cameron, who is the director of wildlife education nonprofit Wild Wise, told the Sooke News Mirror that Ollie has been spotted “doing nefarious things” with the bodies “for days on end” after their deaths.
In his own way, the lonely otter appears attached to his deceased companions. Cameron added that he’ll carry a body around for days “like a teddy bear.”
While the behavior may seem shocking, it’s not as an unusual as you might think, biologist and sea otter researcher Jane Watson told CBC News. Male sea otters without “access” to females become sexually frustrated, and the results often aren’t pretty.
“He’s what is sometimes referred to as a satellite male,” she said. “He’s sitting there just hoping he’s made a territory that’s going to have females in it, and it doesn’t.”
Indeed, the fuzzy, hand-holding, tool-using animals have become somewhat notorious for their sexual predilections. A 2010 scientific paper documented cases of “forced copulation” between male sea otters in California and young harbor seals.
