Retired logger gives mouth-to-mouth to baby otter, then a village steps in to save it

Alert Bay, British Columbia: It took a village to save a baby otter in Alert Bay. Retired logger and fisherman Gordon Mellish was alerted by a neighbor at the marina that three baby otters were tangled in a fishing net. A small crowd gathered as he cut them free.

Two appeared unharmed. The third wasn’t moving.”Gave the heart a little pump and nothing was going on, so I grabbed it and picked it up, I wrapped my mouth around its mouth and nose and gave it a breath of life,” Mellish told CTV News’ Adam Sawatsky.

Mellish said he had given mouth-to-mouth CPR to 10 people during his years on the water, but never to an otter.

From the crowd came Robin Quirk, who took over care of the revived pup. She built a shelter to protect it from sun and birds of prey and made a bed for it while seeking expert advice.

With the nearest wildlife rescue center a long drive and ferry ride away, Quirk kept the otter in her car overnight before making the trip the next day.”You know how if you can’t get your baby to sleep, you take it for a drive? Well, the otter slept the whole way,” she said.

The otter spent a week in rehabilitation before being returned to Alert Bay. Mellish and Quirk were invited to watch its release.

Mellish said the otter leapt into the water, looked back, and nodded as he waved before swimming away. Subsequent sightings show it has rejoined its mother and siblings, and appears to recognize Quirk when she whistles the lullaby she made up during the car ride.”A life’s a life no matter what it is. Try to do your best to save it,” Mellish said.