A Brighter Tomorrow: My Journey with Julie

But the plastic is so tough and we don’t have anything to cut it with. Julie rummages in her pockets and pulls out a gum wrapper, a happy face sticker, and a Kennedy half-dollar, like the one I found in the window seat. That’s it! I dig into my pocket and feel the peace-sign earring, the quarter, the flower-power necklace charm from Gladrags, and finally the nail clipper that I found among other treasures in the window seat.

I twist it open and use it to cut away the band around the otters neck. Then, I hand the clipper to Julie and she snips the band at his feet. He’s free, but he seems weak, and he just lies there in the water as if he’s exhausted. Julie grabs a piece of driftwood and uses it to steady him as the waves continue to roll in. The otter clings to it and doesn’t try to escape into the open water.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity, two women come running over. Their name tags say Amy and Paula. Julie and I introduce ourselves and explain what happened as Amy puts on rubber gloves and lifts the baby otter out of the water. Paula shakes her head when we show her the plastic rings. She says she wishes people wouldn’t litter like this. These can have a disastrous effect on wildlife. Amy checks the otter for other injuries and says he doesn’t have any cuts and he seems well-fed, but he’s probably chilled. She turns to Julie and me and says it looks like he got separated from his mother. It’s a good thing we found him when we did. She’s not sure how much longer he would have lasted once the tide came in.

Paula stands by with a towel as Amy sets the baby otter in Paula’s arms. She wraps him up carefully. She says it was smart of us to send someone to get help. We did a real deed of kindness for the little pup. We gaze down at him and he blinks his dark eyes at us and he twitches his nose. He’s so cute. As he warms up, he starts to make tiny whistles and yelps. I say he’s so squeaky. Julie giggles and says his name should be Squeaky.

Amy says we have to remember that Squeaky is a wild animal. We can’t let him get too used to humans since he has to be returned to his natural habitat as soon as possible. Julie and I understand. As much as we’d like more time with the pup, we know the sooner he can get back to the ocean, the better. We follow Paula and Amy down to a clear spot on the beach where Squeaky can have plenty of space to test his strength in the water.

Paula sets the towel down at the water’s edge and Amy unwraps it to let Squeaky reenter the water at will. When the next wave rolls in, Squeaky seems hesitant to dive in. He sniffs the air and lets out a squeal. Julie asks if he’s scared and Paula says he might be. But that squeal was a call to his mother. If she responds, he’ll feel more confident about getting back in the water. Squeaky squeals again, and we wait impatiently for his mother’s response.

Then, we hear it. An urgent bark coming from the water a distance away. Paula pulls out her binoculars and trains them on the water, scanning the waves for an adult otter. Nothing happens at first, then Squeaky stretches his neck out and lets out another cry. Then, Paula says she can see a head bobbing in the waves. Julie and I gasp. Paula hands us the binoculars and we take turns peering through to see the otter. She calls to her pup, floating on her back as the waves send her up and down the surface of the water.

Suddenly, Squeaky wiggles and squirms off the towel. He uses his back legs and tail as he scoots towards the water, arching his back and pushing forward toward the surf. Screeches and squawks fill the air as mother and baby call back and forth. As he dives into the water, another wave comes in to push him onto the sand. Julie asks if he’s strong enough to break through the waves to get to his mama. Amy says she hopes so. If not, we’re here to help.

As the waves pull back, Squeaky tries again. He swims out past the first break, and then the second. Julie and I cheer him on, jumping up and down as we watch in amazement. We take turns with Paula’s binoculars, watching as Squeaky greets and nuzzles his mother. Before we know it, mother sea otter is floating on her back with Squeaky nestled against her chest. We wave goodbye, missing him already.

Silent and content, we pick up our garbage bags and make our way back to the parking lot. As we walk across the beach, we see what a difference we and the other volunteers have made. It looks like an entirely different beach from the one we arrived at a few hours ago. I grin at Julie, and I slip off my shoes, and she does the same. Seagulls soar overhead, squawking to one another before they alight along the shore. I think of how many beach and sea animals we’ve helped by cleaning up the litter.

When I get home, I’m going to take Zack to Ocean Beach. I’ll tell him how important it is to keep it clean so that animals can have a safe place to live and people can continue to enjoy the beach fifty years in the future.