Today (March 17, 2012) is the one-year anniversary of Clover, a female southern sea otter. Clover's story began in late 2010 when she was rescued and brought to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. At that time, Clover was a young, wild otter that stranded due to illness. Veterinarians examined and treated her for several months and deemed her unable to return to the ocean, due to her need for long term care. Clover arrived at SeaWorld San Diego at about 5 months old on St. Patrick's Day, hence the name Clover.

SeaWorld San Diego recently took in a rescued California sea otter pup that was found stranded a few months ago on a beach about five hours north of the marine-life park. The female pup was somehow separated from her mother and was suffering from a viral infection. Staff at the Monterey Bay Aquarium rescued her, stabilized her and then sent her to us for further care and a long-term home.

The bumble bee is small in size - but big in purpose. These fascinating creatures play a valuable role in our eco-system. It’s estimated that one third of the food we eat is pollinated by bees, and that around 75 percent of the world’s crop species depend on pollination by bees to survive. Simply put – less bees means less food. It’s a reality that most people don’t think about.

Keeping track of large carnivores can be a tricky business. Monitoring their safety and travel patterns in a way that doesn’t expose researchers to danger or influence the actions of the animals has always been a challenge. The answer to these problems seems to come from above – from aerial surveillance techniques.

The widespread hunting and illegal trade of wildlife in Vietnam is a major threat to many species - fortunately the Education for Vietnam organization (ENV) is fighting back for animals. The northern border of the country is often used by smugglers to supply Chinese consumer markets with wildlife such as pangolins, freshwater turtles, snakes, and monitor lizards sourced from other Asian countries. Also popular through this “back-door” delivery system are shipments of elephant ivory from Africa, tigers

SeaWorld San Diego recently participated in the celebration of Sea Otter Awareness Week, to help educate the public about a species threatened by oil spills, entanglement in fishing nets and disease.

We live in a world of incredible beauty, and no place is this more apparent than in the Florida Keys. This tropical paradise often serves as an oasis for people wanting to get away from the stressors of life – but unfortunately the animals of the area won’t have the same privilege unless we help them.

Phoenix Hero is a gentoo penguin chick that hatched December 30, 2010 at SeaWorld Orlando, and his extraordinary name complements his extraordinary story of survival.