A celebrated sea otter who survived a natural oil slick and was tracked by researchers for six years has been killed by a shark . The seven-year-old marine mammal named Olive was found dead by a beachgoer on March 22 near Sunset State Beach in California . Wildlife biologists retrieved a large , serrated tooth fragment from white shark in a wound on the mother-of-three 's body , indicating the cause of death . Sad loss : Olive the otter was found dead by a beachgoer on March 22 near Sunset State Beach in California . Cause of death : Wildlife biologists retrieved a large , serrated tooth fragment ( above ) from white shark in a wound on the mother-of-three 's body , indicating the cause of death . Outside of the fatal bite wounds , Olive was reported to be in good health . Olive made headlines in February 2009 when she was found covered in oil and near death on Sunset State Beach in Santa Cruz County . A rescue team from The Marine Mammal Center was dispatched to retrieve the oiled otter . Her 'thick and tarry ' fur was cleaned with a combination of diluted dish soap and olive oil , hence her name . In early April 2009 , when her weight was back to normal and vets had given her the all-clear , Olive was deemed ready for release . Flashback : Olive made headlines in February 2009 when she was found covered in oil and near death on Sunset State Beach in Santa Cruz County . In safe hands : Her 'thick and tarry ' fur was cleaned with a combination of diluted dish soap and olive oil , hence her name . She was outfitted with a high frequency transmitter and colored flipper tags so she could be identified and monitored after her release . In July 2012 Olive was re-captured for a health examination . Her blood values and physical examination were consistent with other healthy , wild otters , and it was determined that she was pregnant - the first known pregnancy . Before her death , Olive was most recently seen in mid-February resting in kelp near Capitola . Olive had more than 5,000 Facebook followers , in an account set up by wildlife officials . 'Swimming ' was listed as her sole personal interest . Back to the wild : In early April 2009 , when her weight was back to normal and vets had given her the all-clear , Olive was deemed ready for release . Motherly love : Before her death , Olive was most recently seen in mid-February resting in kelp near Capitola - above , pictured with one of her pups at Seacliff State Beach on September 10 , 2012 . Hundreds of followers expressed sadness after reading about her passing . A message left by administrators read : 'Although we are extremely saddened by the death of Olive , we are grateful for the opportunity we had to learn from and about her . 'Olive ’ s success in the wild after being oiled demonstrated the value of washing and rehabilitating oiled wildlife . 'She thrived in the wild and successfully gave birth to and weaned three healthy pups , making a great contribution to the southern sea otter population , which is listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act . 'Olive also served as an ambassador for her species and other wildlife affected by oil . ' According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife , shark bites are the leading cause of mortality of southern sea otters .
Olive made headlines in February 2009 when she was found covered in oil and near death on Sunset State Beach in Santa Cruz County . Her 'thick and tarry ' fur was cleaned with a combination of diluted dish soap and olive oil , hence her name . She went on to make a full recovery and was released back to the wild . However , a beachgoer found her body with fatal shark bite wounds on March 22 near Sunset State Beach in California .