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Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary announces passing of otters Sadie and Sammy

otters who died at bay beach
Posted at 4:54 PM, Jul 20, 2022
and last updated 2022-07-21 13:26:51-04

GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — Two beloved otters who lived at Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary for years have died, a member of staff announced Wednesday.

Lori Bankson, Curator of Animals for Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary, wrote on the Sanctuary's Facebook page that Sadie and Sammy passed away within a short time of each other. Sadie passed away 10 days ago due to cancer.

"Sammy looked for her [Sadie] and started to get upset and not eat," Bankson wrote. "Our staff worked with our veterinarians to help him out as much as we could, but Sammy fell asleep over the weekend and passed away also."

Sadie and Sammy came to the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary in April of 2008 when they were found with a sister in a cranberry bog. They were about one week old and needed care around the clock. The sister otter later died, and Sadie and Sammy became sick but eventually recovered. Since the two otters became habituated to their human caretakers, they couldn't be released back into the wild.

The two otters were later introduced to the public, who later named them Sadie and Sammy as part of a naming contest.

They lived at the Bay Beach Sanctuary in a public exhibit, delighting visitors for years.

"Our staff is devastated at this loss to say the least. We care about every animal that calls BBWLS home, whether temporarily or permanently, but these 2 made an impact like no other," wrote Bankson. "They taught our community so much about otters and how clean water impacts us all. They also taught us a lot about caring for small otters. That knowledge helped BBWLS become one of the few rehabilitation facilities in Wisconsin to successfully rehabilitate and release orphaned and injured otters back into the wild."