Nyac the famous hand holding otter has died - Update

Nyac one of the two famous otter-holding-hands YouTube stars and long-time resident of the Vancouver Aquarium died on September 23, 2008. She was one of the last surviving sea otters from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. Nyac came to the Vancouver Aquarium in 1989 as one of the few young survivors of the oil spill.



She was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia a few days before her death. This cancer has not been previously reported in sea otters, but it is associated with contact with petroleum in other species.