Sea Studios’ Saving Otter 501 will splash into local living rooms, courtesy of PBS.

As familiar as many Peninsula residents are with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, few of us ever see the Sea Otter Research and Conservation (SORAC) program in action. Saving Otter 501, premiering this week on PBS’s flagship series Nature provides incredible footage of our local tourist magnet, focusing on the adorable orphaned baby otters rescued by the Aquarium and the people dedicated to returning them to the wild.

On Del Monte Beach, program head Karl Mayer cradles a stranded otter pup in his arms and confirms that the mother is truly gone before bringing it back to the Aquarium. Soon, another call comes in, and this pup becomes the star of the show. At just three days old, Otter 501 is utterly helpless. She cannot swim, dive, eat or groom herself, but she is healthy enough to make it into the SORAC program. But will she make it out?

The film follows her progress as she grows and develops under, first under human care, in the form of Mayer and his colleague Sandrine Hazan, and later, under the instruction of the Aquarium’s most famous instructor, Toola, the otter who transformed the entire program by becoming the first otter to raise an orphaned pup in captivity.

The program, unique in the world, began in 1984. In early attempts, scientists made big mistakes; they bonded with the pups, which made it impossible for the animals to live without their humans. Now, they avoid becoming attached to the animals. They steer clear of eye contact, wear gloves and welders’ masks when interacting with the pups, and refrain from naming them. And they turn over the rearing to foster mothers like Toola, who demonstrate all the important skills, from cracking clams to negotiating with live crabs.

The film captures the intensive work and resources that go into what might seem a frivolous enterprise. Huge amounts of time and equipment go into the not-always-successful attempt to save otters. But otters perform a crucial role in the life of the Bay: without them, the urchin population would grow out of control, which could mean devastation to the kelp forests. Without the kelp forests, species that depend on the seaweed for food or shelter would disappear as well.

This terrific film, made locally by recently shuttered Sea Studios, features spectacular images of our famous coastline and wildlife. It may inspire you to get out to the coast where you will almost certainly see a thriving wild otter, who, like 501, just may have been reared in a tank on the roof of the Aquarium.

SAVING OTTER 501 (3½) • Directed by Bob Talbot and Mark Shelly • Narrated by Daniel Stern • showing 8pm Wed Oct. 16 on PBS.