Watch CBS News

Aquarium Apologizes For Fat-Shaming Its Own Otter

MONTEREY, Calif. (AP) -- California's Monterey Bay Aquarium has apologized after some people perceived a tweet about a sea otter as body-shaming.

The aquarium on Tuesday tweeted a picture of Abby, an otter who helps train orphaned otters how to survive in the wild. The tweet featured social media words and phrases such as "thick," "c h o n k" and "OH LAWD SHE COMIN" which are often used to describe someone who is overweight.

People took offense.

The aquarium on Wednesday tweeted a multipart apology that it called a "learning moment." It apologized and said it was unaware of the connotations associated with some of the memes.

The aquarium says "Abby is looking fit."

(© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.